


Back to Earth in a Tangible Form Tonight

by TheHeartInNoDice



Series: Rich Street [1]
Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti)
Genre: Bottom Richie Tozier, Demisexual Richie?, Eddie Kaspbrak is a sex god should be a real tag, Fix-It, Fluff, M/M, POV Richie Tozier, POV Second Person, Post-Canon Fix-It, Richie is kind of a boomer, Smut, Top Eddie Kaspbrak, canon ending, just sayin it, some vague suicidal thoughts, stupid hot men being insecure for no reason
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-30
Updated: 2020-08-20
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:20:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 29,812
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25612723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheHeartInNoDice/pseuds/TheHeartInNoDice
Summary: It's been a few days since the great evil under Derry has been defeated, but Richie hasn't left yet. There's still something he needs to do. Something keeping him here.Now if only he can find the will to leave his hotel room and get to it.
Relationships: Eddie Kaspbrak & Richie Tozier, Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier
Series: Rich Street [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1883761
Comments: 20
Kudos: 94





	1. Chapter 1

You can't leave him there. You just can't. Eddie would've hated knowing he'd have to spend the rest of his death in a place like that.

So here's the plan: You're going to get people. Yeah. Professionals that do exactly that kind of job. Construction workers? You're not sure yet, you'll do some research, but you'll hire whoever you need to get that pile of wood and shit off your best friend, who just happens to be the person you care about the most in the world. And who's also dead. Then you'll give him a proper sendoff, and then… then you don't know what else. You haven't thought that far ahead yet.

Yeah, you'll do that. As soon as you find the strength to leave the hotel room. Any day now.

Between crying and drinking yourself to sleep, last night you skipped dinner again and chose the former. Again you dreamed about it. His face, forever blankly staring at nothing, and you just leave him there. You just fucking left him there. How could you do that? Who cares the whole place was crumbling? You should have thrown him over your shoulder and carried him the fuck out. And if you couldn't, you should've just…

Your eyes are puffy, and it's annoying but at this point, you're starting to get used to it. Mike will be here any minute with something for you to eat as he's been doing the whole week, and the fact that you just can't take any more pity from anyone is what drives you to leave the bed and wash your face. At least the others are gone. They all made you swear you'd keep up with the newly created group chat, but you haven't charged your phone since-- since that day. You suppose Mike's keeping them on the loop about your never-changing status.

Fuck, you're a mess.

Mike knocks and enters before you tell him to come in. You kind of want to tell him to fuck off, but then your stomach growls, and even though you're not the least bit hungry, you're still going to eat something so maybe you can go and see about lifting that house off of Eddie.

"Brought you coffee and some bagels, man."

You don't want to thank him. You don't. You want to push him against the wall and scream in his face that if he hadn't called, Eddie and Stan would still be alive. If he hadn't called, you'd still be doing your shitty act in front of people who don't know the real you and never will.

Bev would still be with her asscunt of a husband. Pennywise would still be a menace. You wouldn't have killed your childhood bully. And you're unsure about how that one makes you feel. Is it completely awful or is it cathartic? At least the people who came to pick up his body didn't make a fuss about it. Life's cheap in Derry. Besides, he was a wanted criminal anyway.

And more importantly...

You wouldn't remember Eddie. You would have no idea who Eddie was. You wouldn't know what that hole in your heart you felt most of your life meant. The pain you feel now, without him means that you know. You knew him. He was here. "Yeah, thanks." You sit back down and take a bite of the bagel. It tastes like paper. "This is really nice." When you take a sip of the coffee and Mike still doesn't say anything, you raise an eyebrow, glaring at him.

"Just…" He sighs. "We're worried about you, Richie. You can't--"

"Can't what?" You explode. "Mourn Eddie? Feel like shit because he's dead and I did nothing to stop it from happening? Wallow in self-pity because my whole life is a lie and I don't feel particularly motivated to go about changing that?"

You feel incredibly great and incredibly awful at the same time.

Mike's hand is on your shoulder and you don't know how to feel about that. "I'm sorry, Richie. I just wish you would talk. To me or any of the others." Well, you're talking now. Isn't that enough? "I… I won't be here for much longer and I need to know that you'll be okay before I leave."

You roll your eyes and exhale loudly. "Yeah, Mikey, I'll be fine. I'm a big boy, alright? I got… I got some shit to do, and then I'll leave too." And because you don't want to deal with him anymore, you get up and usher him out of the room, promising to charge your phone and eat the rest of your breakfast.

And you even do both of these things, but you can't turn on your phone just yet. In the few moments of the day you're not thinking about Eddie, you've made bets with yourself about how many missed calls and messages from Julian you have. You settled for 69 because of course you did, but you're kind of hoping he's forgotten you exist by this point.

Then you go about getting the house off your friend. It's not exactly an easy task. Apparently no one gives a shit about it, and you just can't seem to find any construction workers or people willing to do it no matter how much you offer. It's like the whole town is just ignoring the haunted house turned pile of rubble back in Neibolt. Fuck. Maybe you should have asked Mike about it. But then again, this is your thing, you're the one who thought it up, so you'll do it yourself. Along with whoever else you hire. But no other Losers. Would they even do it? 

You will have to bring people from outside of Derry to do this. But you won't leave Eddie there, you absolutely refuse to.

So you turn on your phone. Adding up the messages and missed calls, you have 52 instances of your manager trying to contact you, the last one from two days ago. Well, less than expected. It still tires you out just looking at the notifications, and you fall on the bed, trying to come up with the perfect explanation before actually calling Julian. Because you're probably gonna need his help for this, and you know he's not gonna do it without a decent explanation.

You only realize how exhausted you were from all the running around when you open your eyes and it's dark out. So you sigh and go take a shower. A good, long hot shower to put things in perspective. You think about what you'll tell Julian as you dump almost the whole bottle of shampoo on your hair. Maybe something along the lines of 'friends reunion', 'accident', 'incompetent little town'. Yeah, something like that.

When you're done, you shave that squirrel off your face too, because damn you look even more like a bum than usual. Then you grab your glasses on the sink and leave the bathroom.

"Hi, Richie."

"Hey, Ed--"

It's not that you scream. You don't think anyone in the world would call the noise you make 'screaming', it's more of a wailing groan that increases in volume the harder you stare at whatever it is perched on your window.

Is it the fucking clown? Did you not kill it after all?

How bad is it that you kind of don't want to give a shit and just pull him to your arms? If it is Pennywise, you'd just rather he kill you after pulling something like that.

"It's really me, Rich. And I promise I can give you a perfectly good explanation for being alive."

You approach him slowly, raising a hand to touch him. "Ed… Eddie…"

"Though I'd really appreciate it if you could put some clothes on first."

Your eyes go from his face to the towel on your hands, which you were using on your hair because you naively thought you were alone in your own room. "Right, yeah. Gimme a sec." Too late for modesty, you don't bother with the towel anymore and just pick up the first thing you can get from the open bag on the floor, shorts and a t-shirt which feel unusually short. What the hell?

Whatever, it doesn't matter. Can you go and touch Eddie now?

When you turn around, he's smiling like he wants to say something funny, and you want to scream again, because holy shit, he's really here! You walk towards him as fast as you can, but you have the feeling you're barely moving, because you can't feel your feet; it's like your whole body just fell asleep. 

"Just a warning, I might be a little bit cold."

Your hand stops an inch above his face. "Fuck. You're cold? Do you need a jacket? A blanket? A--"

"No, no, I'm okay." Your hand is still hovering over his face, until he grabs your wrist and pulls you towards him. He _is_ real. And he's not cold. He's fucking freezing. His fingers and face feel like ice cubes on your skin. "Yeah, sorry about that. Haven't had the chance to uh, take care of it."

Take care of it? Whatever, later. "Eddie… how are you not going through some sort of like, hypothermic shock or whatever right now? And how the fuck are you alive? Don't get me wrong, I'm really, really, really, really, _really_ happy that you are, but I did see you die, man. We all did. And… and… I wanted to get you out of there, but they wouldn't let me, they kept pulling me away from you, and then the house fell down, and no one would help me to get it back up, I was gonna have people from fuck knows where to come and... and--"

"Richie, calm the fuck down, man. You're starting to hyperventilate. That's usually my job, you know. I'd give you my inhaler if I still had it but well, that ship has sailed, hasn't it. Just… just take deep breaths and--"

You want to laugh out loud. You want to cry. You want to scream. Never mind your heart is trying to beat off your chest, or that you're breathing like a maniac. You throw your arms around his waist, hiding your face on his chest and trying your hardest not to cry. You're hunched, and your back hurts, but you couldn't care less. After a moment, his hands are on your hair and you don't give a fuck anymore, sobbing against him as your hands grip tightly on the back of his clothes.

His clothes, which are absolutely filthy, and he smells like dried blood, like grey water and… you don't know what else and you don't care. He's probably aching for a bath, and you will offer, but now, you need to know. How is he here? Just… how?

"Are you okay now?" His hands are still caressing your hair, and you moan a 'yeah' on his chest. "Good. Good. It's… It's really dead, right Richie? We killed the fucker, right? I can feel it's dead, but I need to hear it."

"We killed it, Eddie. We did it. Thanks to your advice. It was all thanks to you." God, he does not smell good at all, but the last thing you want to do right now is move. If anything, you just burrow your face against him even more.

"Okay, good. Because I'm not sure I'd be up for another round just yet. Listen, I have to tell you something. Why I'm… why I'm here. Back from the dead. Honestly, I have no idea how you're gonna take this, Richie, and I'm kinda freaking out, okay, so just don't move and listen."

Well, now you're freaking out too. Again. But you don't move other than nodding your head.

"Well, you see, the truth is that I… I…"

Then he tells you. Three little words. Three little words you've never ever thought you'd hear from Eddie Kaspbrak, but you cannot deny that, yep, you just heard them, unbelievable as they are. You straighten up slowly to look him in the eye.

"I'm sorry, Eds, maybe I didn't hear it right. Did you just say you're a fucking vampire?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1 ~ I totally did not have this idea after watching Family Blood. Even if that movie kinda... sucks... heh
> 
> 2 ~In case it isn't obvious, Julian is Richie's manager. I've seen the name Steve thrown around on the few fics I've read, but Steve is his name in the book, and this story is inspired solely by the movie and not the book, because if I mix things up my brain goes all fuckly wuckly, because it's been like 20 years since I read it and I don't plan on doing it again any time soon. Well, except the 'Eds' thing, because I love the 'Eds' thing and leave me alone. Anyway, in the movie he doesn't have a name, so I went with Julian
> 
> 3 ~Hey I just met you (no i didnt) and this is crazy but leave a comment if you liked this maybe (shut up i'm not a boomer)
> 
> 4 ~ [Tumblr](https://clownmovieblues.tumblr.com/)


	2. Chapter 2

"Excuse me, but we defeated a fucking alien demon not a week ago. Or has it been over a week? It has to have been a few days, since everyone else left. Why are you still here? It doesn't matter. If you can believe aliens, you can believe vampires too, asshole." Eddie speaks fast, but you're used to it, you just have to choose what to focus on.

And you're still feeling all giddy and tingly inside, because _Eddie's fucking alive!_ But what he just said really sounds like the tallest of all tall tales you've ever heard. "Can I?" Your voice goes higher at the end of the question. "Vampires?" Again. "Like, do you sparkle in the sun too?"

Hair fondling long forgotten, Eddie crosses his arms, frowning hard at you. "Alright, dipshit. So what is your explanation for me being alive right now then, huh? Let's hear it."

"Well, for one, you could be a hallucination I'm having because someone spiked my drink or some bullshit like that." _Or a dying dream I could be having after getting into that bathtub and_

"Fuck you, man, I'm not a hallucination! Here, look." Eddie unzips his hoodie and you cringe as you stare at the mangled, bloodied shirt. In the next moment he's raising it and holding it with his chin, and what the fuck are those abs, holy shit, isn't he like a fucking white collar? As if you hadn't drooled over him enough before. Wait no, focus before you lose yourself on his happy trail. The wound. Pennywise's fucking stabby handiwork. Not as gaping as it probably should be, but still there. Not bleeding anymore, though. You raise your eyes to his face, only now noticing there's no bandage and no scar. "Yeah, that one healed up okay."

"Holy fuck! Does it hurt? We should get to a hospital, and--"

"No, no, it's fine, don't worry about it. It did hurt like a motherfuck when I woke up, but it's pretty dull now. It's going to heal. I need--"

Staring at his mouth, you can't help cutting him off. "Do you have fangs? Can I see?"

He groans and to your disappointment, drops his shirt back in place. "No, I don't have fangs! I mean, my canines are a little pointier than usual, but I'd hardly call them fangs." He opens his mouth and let's you check out his teeth. You can barely see a difference, but they do seem a little pointier and longer than normal. "Literally everything you saw in the movies is bullshit. Well, except the part that I can heal from shit like this. Takes some time, though, apparently. I had never been fatally wounded before. And uh, there's one other little thi--."

Something occurs to you just then, and you interrupt him again. "Fuck, Eddie! You could have told us! You could have told me. You could have said, hey, y'know, if you let me like, bite you, or whatever it is that you do, I'll be brand new in no time. Do you think any of us would have denied you anything? Because I know I wouldn't have, no matter how absurd it might have sounded. If you'd asked me to let you bite me in the neck, I wouldn't have even questioned it. It is how you get better, isn't it? Blood? That's gotta be it."

Eddie nods, but looks away from you. "I don't know, Richie. I don't know if you would've really believed me, and… I… I had no idea I was gonna come back to life. I figured that was it, that's how you kill something like me. I just thought maybe I should let things end right then and there. Besides, what right did I have to a second chance? Stan didn't get a second chance. And… I'm a fucking coward anyway. Even knowing I could heal, I still froze when that... headspider thing was attacking you. That kind of thing scares the shit out of me. I didn't wanna be in that place. Fuck, I was terrified. I almost let you die."

You take a deep breath, because holy shit he did not just say this. "Do you have any idea how much I want to punch you right now? I won't, though. First because I don't go around punching people like an asshole, second because from what I just seen, you look like you could wipe the floor with me. And third because... Jesus, Eddie, I think it's pretty fucking normal that you're not a fearless hero all the time. Fear is not something you can easily turn on and off at the blink of an eye. But you can do it when you really have to. I've seen it. The others, they told me how you saved my fucking life. So don't give me that bullshit again. I'm crazy happy that you're here, and right now that's all that matters. No more giving up on life just because you're a soulless creature of the night, alright?" You calm down a little, knowing you don't really have much credibility to talk to other people about giving up or being a coward. "You've been dead for like nine days."

Eddie looks out the window for a while before returning his eyes to you. "I am really, really sorry, Richie, okay? I fucked up. Can we just leave it at that?" You nod, because you can't do anything else and he sighs, also nodding a little. "Nine days? Really? Fuck, if Myra weren't at her parents, the whole fucking FBI would probably be here by now. I gotta call her, though. I need--" He gets up from the window, but you hold his arm.

"Uh-uh, no way, Jose. We're not finished here yet. Holy fuck, we're not even close to being done. So, I know for a fact you weren't like that when we were kids. I've seen you wearing the same bruises for days after being terrorized by Bowers. So how the fuck did you--" Suddenly an image of a(nother) sexy man all dressed in black and biting Eddie's neck floods your mind and you almost shake your head in a cartoonish manner to dismiss it. "Was it like a Lestat type or more of a Dracula?"

"It was uh, a fucking old lady."

You glare at him. "What."

"She fucking charged at me, man! And she bit my shoulder. I don't know if she was aiming for my neck, but she was too short to reach it."

"Really? What was she, like a Hobbit?"

"Fuck you. She took a chunk out of my shoulder and just stood there in front of me while I went into shock. Except I didn't, because I heard her cursing and saying something about it being too late. Then she just fucking croaked. This was like, the middle of the night so I had to call an ambulance myself and explain to them what happened. They bagged her without much fuss, I mean, it was pretty obvious some demented lady flipped out and attacked someone, and they believed me when I said she had just fallen over dead on her own. They do have ways of checking, and since I never heard from them again or the police, I figured they knew I had nothing to do with it. Then they patched me up and then everything else is kind of a blur. But I woke up in my wife's, well, my then girlfriend's bed and the taste of blood in my mouth. My bandage was gone, but she had one in her arm. I bit her. I bit her and my wound was gone. She was really cool about it, and all, which was great. You'd think a normal person would've freaked out over something like that, but she told me she was a goth in college, so she kind of dug it."

Oh, you don't want that image in your head. "Is she… too?"

"No, apparently Vampirella Sr. didn't give me the power to turn other people. So yeah, now you see why I gotta call her. I need blood, man. I need… I need to heal this fucking wound on my chest and get my vitals back to normal. I would've brought some if I had considered even for a moment this would take more than four or five days. It's not ideal but it would do in an emergency." As Eddie attempts to get up once again, you hold a hand against his chest.

"It's barely beating."

"Yeah, no shit. I'm alive now, but I have no idea for how long I'll continue to be. Like I said, I never had an injury this big before. I had never been… killed before. It healed enough that I came to, realized I was alive again but barely, and I found my way back here somehow, but I might drop dead any minute now, and--"

You crook your head, pointing with both hands to your neck. "Fucking bite me then, you idiot! I rather you suck me dry," you snicker, "than have you dying on me again."

"What? I'm not biting you! Do you have any idea how much this shit hurts? With Myra I always use anesthetics first and she still makes a fucking awful face. We tried doing it kind of like a transfusion, but it's just not as effective. It's like the blood loses its power if I don't take it directly from the source. Besides, I don't do the neck, I think it's too risky."

"Do I look like I fucking care it hurts? Bite me, Kaspbrak. C'mon, your awful-faced wifey ain't here, and I don't mind being your side dish." Oops. Too close to the truth. Beep-beep, Richie. 

"Have I mentioned… fuck you? And I can't… I can't do this to you, Richie."

"What? Why not? I'm fucking offering, man! I cannot see you die again, alright, and who knows how long you'll have to wait until you see Mom Part 2 - The Wifening again."

"Richie, I swear to God…"

"Please, Eddie. Please bite my arm, my leg or whatever part you prefer and suck all the blood you need. Do you want me to beg? Is that what you want?"

Eddie looks away with a grimace. "I just… I don't wanna hurt you."

You're stunned for a moment. So he doesn't mind hurting her, but he can't hurt you. You almost think it's sweet. Then you reach for your dirty pants on the ground and grab the blade in the pocket. Eddie raises a hand, but before he can do anything, you cut a slash on your arm.

"Motherfucker!"

"Got that right, Eds. Now get over here right now before I pass out from blood loss."

"You're gonna lose blood anyway, idiot." But he's grabbing your arm, and in an instant, his mouth is over the gash. And it looks like you weren't kidding about passing out. Maybe you shouldn't have skipped so many meals.

__

When you wake up, you're in bed, and your wound is dressed. Eddie is sitting beside you playing a game on his phone, apparently after a shower and a change of clothes. He doesn't smell like death anymore. He glances at you. "Meant to say this earlier. You're wearing my clothes, douchebag."

"Wha…?" Oh, right. They needed to vacate Eddie's room so you brought his things to yours. And it's not like his suitcase was open because you liked to smell his clothes, absolutely not. And now you're even wearing them. Good thing he's not as small as you like to joke he is, the shirt fits pretty okay, you're only slightly wider than him; it's just the shorts that look a little obscene. Or maybe they look like that on him too, and-- yeah, you don't want to keep following that line of thought. "Uh… are you feeling better?"

He raises his shirt like he did before, and oh God, there are those well-defined abs that you definitely don't want to feel with your tongue. The curls on his chest makes you feel things down south and once again, you have to remind yourself to focus. There's no more wound, not even a scar. He's all fixed up, and his heartbeat is so strong you can actually see his chest rising with every beat. "I'm sorry, about your arm, Richie. It's not gonna heal fast because you did it with a knife. If I had bitten you like you asked… well, it takes like a day for the bite mark to disappear."

"Don't worry about it, man. Seriously. I did it myself, didn't I?"

"Yeah, but--"

"Don't. Please."

Eddie sighs, but relents. "Here, eat something." You sit up as he puts his phone away and reaches for the nightstand to bring a big fucking tray that he deposits on your lap. And then you realize you're ravenous.

While you devour everything he's brought you, he steals something here and there. "So you can still eat like, normal food?"

"Yeah? I even have my allergies and all. I told you, I'm pretty fucking normal, with the exception of those two little things."

"Healing factor and bloodsucking. Neat. So you didn't just fly up here? Why were you perched on the window like a fucking bat when I got off the shower? You weren't waiting for an invitation or something?" You can't stop the barrage of questions. "How did you leave that place anyway?"

Eddie takes a deep breath before braving your inquiries. "Well, to begin with, I woke up and the whole place had collapsed around me. But there was a path I could walk around. And I could hear running water, so I followed it and ended up in the Barrens. Then I washed up a little and walked back here. The front desk was empty, which surprises no one, so I just picked up the key and went into my room but my shit wasn't there. So I tried yours, and your fucking door was unlocked, which is very stupid and irresponsible of you. But then again, lucky me that I'm not a fucking movie vampire that needs to be invited in. And I was sitting on the window because both me and my clothes were nasty as hell, and I didn't want to dirty the bed. I used your shower, by the way." He gives you a tiny smile. "And thanks for taking care of my stuff."

You stop eating and just stare at him for a moment, also smiling. "Still can't believe that you're here, man. I just keep thinking I'm gonna wake up any minute and... Do you have any idea--" Then you shake your head. "I just… I missed you, alright? And I'm unbelievably happy that you're alive. Even if you are a bloodsucking parasite."

"Fuck. You."

"It's… it's okay, right? You don't mind that I joke about that?"

Eddie looks at you like you just shit a golden brick or something. "Since when do you ask for permission before a bad taste joke? But yeah, go ahead, I don't care. It's better than your mom jokes anyway."

"Okay. So, you need to suck someone off every day?"

He gives you a death glare and you blow him a kiss. "Fine, yeah. I literally just consented to this. No, just once a month. Otherwise my heart rate decreases and my blood starts getting cold. I actually tried to measure it once, to see how long I could go without after a month passed, but when Myra realized what I was doing, she uh…"

Every time he says her name, you want to stick a spoon in your eye. "She force fed you?" He nods quickly without looking at you. "Eds, it's uh…" _Is everything okay? Are you really happy with that carbon copy of your mother?_ It's not just the way he talks about her, the day you all got here, after the restaurant, you searched Eddie on Facebook and found her, and holy shit, she was literally the same person. Well maybe not literally but almost. How didn't Eddie find that creepy? And more importantly, gross?

"Richie, actually… there's something else I have to tell you."

Aaand you're panicking again. You gulp down on the orange juice Eddie kindly brought you in the hopes of keeping all that nice food down. It seems to work.

"Before going to the restaurant, I drove around for a while. And I saw my old house… it was when all these memories of my mom came back. I mean, she was in Bangor when she died, but by then she looked so different, y'know, because of the cancer, and I hadn't seen her in a long time. Anyway, I saw my old house and realized… okay, I'm not even gonna ask you not to make fun of me and laugh at me forever because I know you will. But Myra uh, kinda looks and acts a whole deal like my mom. Like, she could be her twi-- daughter. There. You can add fucking oedipus complex in all the bullshit you throw at me."

You don't laugh, though. Because he knows. And if he knows… that's good, right?

You think you're done with the mom jokes. For life.

Remind yourself never to call him Eddiepus. Okay. _Now_ you're done.

After he doesn't say anything else, you get impatient. "And?"

"And what?"

"Are you fucking okay with that, Eddie?"

"No, I'm not fucking okay! God, you want me to keep going? Okay, then. I know that's usually your thing, but I threw up, Richie. When I realized I was-- I had-- ugh. I can't… I can't… do you have any idea how glad I am you offered me your arm? I was going to, because I was probably dying and didn't have any choice but now… I… I don't think I can go back to her. She treats me just like my mom did and that's just fucking wrong. I mean, I know she can't help who she is, it's not actually her fault. And she knew what I was and fed me all these years without complaining. Much. And I'll be forever thankful to her for it. But I just can't be with her anymore."

He exhales loudly after the confession and continues to breathe fast, so you quickly put the tray on the floor and hug him once again.

"It's okay. It's okay." After a beat, he hugs you back, and you can take solace on the fact that he won't be able to feel your thundering heartbeats because of his own. 

"It's not. It's not okay. I'm not a good person, Richie. I don't love her anymore, I haven't in a long time, even before all this. And she knows. She knows why I'm still with her, and she still does it. Still feeds me, and we both just go on with our lives pretending everything is okay. But I'm fucking using her, Richie. I'm a scumbag."

"Hey, hey. You just said so yourself. She knows. She could have left any time. You are not a scumbag. It's her choice, right? And it's my choice too. So let me do it from now on."

He leans away from the hug to look at you with that desolate face again. "I can't, Richie. I told you."

Is he serious? "Yeah? What are you gonna do, then? If you don't want me and you're not going back to her?" God, wording, Richie.

"I'll… I'll figure it out."

You groan. "Bullshit. That's bullshit and you know it. There's no way you're gonna stop me from doing this. I'll… I'll send my blood in the mail. I'll fucking move to New York if I have to. And I'll never think that you're using me, okay? It'll be my honor if I can help to keep you alive. I lost you twice, Eddie. I'm not gonna lose you again. I can't. I can't bear not having you there. You were always… always the most important thing in the world to me. Do you have any idea how much I--" You swallow, but the words won't come out. You reach a hand to his face, hoping to convey at least a tenth of your feelings. "I need you in my life."

Eddie's eyes are bigger than usual as he frowns watching you. Then he focuses on your lips for an infinite amount of time, or maybe less than a second, before he speaks again, a hint of a smile on the corner of his lips, and his hand covers yours. "Are you confessing to me, Richie Tozier?"

You don't miss a beat. "What if I am?"

If you are, Eddie Kaspbrak is kissing you now. That's what.

You always liked those thin lips of his, now you love them even more. They're moving slowly against yours, and his hand is on your hair. You're making out with your high-school crush. You're 40 years old and you're making out with… no, not your teenage crush. The person you're madly in love with. Because ever since the moment you saw him again at the restaurant and felt that cupid's arrow straight through your heart, you knew he was more. And whenever he spoke, you liked him more. Whenever you made him smile, you wanted him to fucking destroy you with those dimples of his. He was cute before, but now… you can't get over how beautiful he is now. Hot. Eddie Kaspbrak is hot as fuck.

Your entire life, your heart's never accepted anyone else.

When his tongue suddenly licks on your upper lip, you can't help the moan. But just as you open your mouth to let him in, he pulls away from you. "Fuck. I can't do this, man. I'm still married."

"Eds--"

"Not for long, though. Are you too busy? Come… come to New York with me. We'll stay at a hotel and I'll talk to Myra. I have a good, no, an excellent lawyer. If she gets on my case, I'll just let him deal with everything."

Your head is swimming. "Shit. Eds… you're gonna get a divorce… because of me?"

He sticks a finger on your face. "Not _just_ because of you. Those memories, they… they did a real number on me, you know? I don't think I can ever look Myra in the eye anymore. And speaking of memories… pretty damn sure I had a major crush on you when we were growing up. God, I thought you were so cool, I was fucking terrified you didn't think I was cool too. Then when I saw you again…" His smile is part innocent, part naughty, and you make sure to burn it to your mind. "You really did grow into your looks."

Holy shit, Eddie came back from the dead full of surprises. "Are… are you kidding me right now? Eddie, everything I ever did was to get your attention, to get you to look at me, to make you laugh, to make you happy. I wanted your eyes on me at all times. Fuck. There's something I gotta show you tomorrow."

"What is it?"

Your heart is still thundering, and you can't remember the last time you felt this happy. "Tomorrow, Edward." You put a hand on his face and your stomach flips when he doesn't pull away from your kiss. But it's a soft one, you don't want to push your luck. "Now let's rest our pretty little heads because we have a bunch of shit to do. Y'know, like telling the other Losers about how your last name is Cullen now." You lie down and turn off the lamp, setting your glasses on the nightstand.

Eddie lies down too, but it doesn't seem like he's up for sleeping any time soon. "Fuck, Richie. What-- I hadn't thought that far ahead. This is not something I can just tell everyone."

And while you don't think you can sleep either, not with Eddie right here beside you, safe and sound and _into you_ , you still think you should rest. "Tomorrow, Eds. Besides, you told _me_ , didn't you?"

"Yeah, but it's y--" He sighs. "It's you. Y'know?"

God, he's gonna make your heart explode, and you won't even live to see tomorrow. You reach out to him, smiling dazedly as he grabs your hand without a second thought. "It'll be fine. Don't worry about it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hm? Slow burn? Who is she? Also is Eddie the most boring vampire ever or what


	3. Chapter 3

It's not fine. You have at least 30 new notifications from Julian, and apparently Eddie woke up before you and decided to talk to Myra on the phone, because now she won't stop calling him either, and you're one step away from grabbing his phone from his hands and blocking her number. You reach for it, but he bats your hand away. "Stop it, I'm texting my lawyer."

That makes you lift your head from the pillow. "Wha-- really?"

"Yeah, I mean… I figured maybe I should get him up to speed, y'know?"

"Ooh, someone's eager." You just can't help yourself, can you?

"I'm not the one with a chubbie, dickface."

Oh shit. You didn't even notice, but there it is, clear as day under _Eddie's_ shorts that you're wearing. Sure, you were feeling it, but you always feel like that when you're around him. "I have an eternal boner for you, Edson."

He stops typing for a moment. "How would you like if I started giving you stupid-ass nicknames too, huh?"

You raise your eyebrows at him. "Uhh… Dickface? Dipshit? Fuckhead? I love them all, by the way, keep 'em coming. Speaking of which…" You excuse yourself to the bathroom, still unsure whether you're really gonna jack off with Eddie right there in the room or just take a cold shower.

In the end, you go with the shower, brushing your teeth on the way because you just _know_ Eddie's not gonna kiss you if you have morning breath. He might not kiss you at all on the account of being loyal to his soon to be ex-wife.

Eddie. Kiss. Holy fuck. That shit's real.

You'll put on your own clothes this time, probably the last clean pair of pants you have on your bag. It's a good thing you didn't shower much these past few days. Or at all. Once again, you don't bother to hide; even if you're not particularly happy about how you look, you're not exactly shy, and he's already seen everything anyway, and the burning feeling on the back of your neck tells you he's still looking. You smile giddily. "Take a picture, it'll last--"

_Click._

You look back, and he's pointing his phone at you. You're so shocked that when you try to pretend to be, you can't. 

"Hey, Rich, guess what. I just made a Twitter account."

Oh, the sass. "Okay, that does it, mister. Do you have any idea how much you can destroy my life right now?"

Eddie shrugs, eyes back on his phone, the image of nonchalance. "I mean look at you. If anything you'll just get more fans."

Forgetting about the clothes, you advance towards him. "Listen, buddy. Flattery will get you everywhere."

He smirks and puts his phone down. "Oh yeah?" It's not much of a comeback. It isn't even a comeback at all. But the way he said it, how low his voice was; it sends a shiver down your spine.

"Yeah, and now you're gonna get a lap-full of big naked man, how about that, huh?" You jump on him, and he laughs out loud.

"Oh no, please don't." He's still smiling as he rolls on top of you and starts kissing you, and this time, he has no qualms about sticking his tongue in your mouth and languidly sucking on yours like it's the most natural thing in the world for him. Is… Is Eddie Kaspbrak a fucking smooth operator? Oh, there's your chubbie again. Goddamnit if he doesn't make you feel at least ten years younger.

His hand is going down your side--

A knock, and the door is opening. 

Fuck. You forgot Mike.

"Morning, Rich, I--" The moment he sees the scene on the bed, he turns around immediately, but can't properly close the door with his hands full. "Oh shit, sorry, fuck, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to intrude. Sorry!" 

He finally closes the door, and you count in your head. 3...2...1…

"No, wait. That's Eddie!" He opens the door again, and this time, Eddie rolls off of you and covers you with the sheets. Such a gentleman.

Eddie does a little wave at him, and you just about swoon. "Hi Mikey."

He picks up your clothes for you and pushes you towards the bathroom, still wrapped in the sheets, because apparently he's very insistent on hiding your nakedness from everyone else, even one of your best friends. You knew he was just teasing about uploading your picture, but it's still nice to be sure.

In the end, Eddie manages to explain everything to Mike even better than he did with you. Of course, you contributed to make the story even better, like saying how Eddie could totally turn into a bat, or a wolf (he interrupted you to say he's a vampire, not a shape shifting alien-demon-clown thing).

God. Eddie is a vampire. What the fuck.

Not that you have a problem with it, it's just so damn… random.

He didn't correct you when you told Mike everyone was supposed to call him _Ed the Impaler_ now, though, he just gave you that crooked smile that makes you want to go down on your knees, whether it's to blow him or ask him to marry you, you're not sure. Maybe both. Probably both.

"Eddie, I did try getting in contact with your wife to tell her about you, but I couldn't reach her. Which, well, now I think it's a good thing."

"Yeah, since I called for a little holiday of my own, she was going out of state to visit her family. I uh, talked to her already, thanks Mike."

Then Mike's messaging everyone in the group and scheduling a video call later in the day, non-cancellable, he insists, and you know the Losers will see it through. And Eddie knows it's okay to tell them, even if you're a little sad this secret isn't just yours anymore. You know full well how selfish it is to think like that, but it's one of those intrusive thoughts you just can't help.

It's only when Mike leaves that it hits you. "So, Mike totally caught us making out, didn't he."

You're lying on your belly, deleting Julian's messages, and Eddie runs his eyes over your back, stopping right over your rump. Shiver. "And he got an eyeful, too." You can feel the jealousy dripping from his words, and you have to bite back a moan.

And even if you want nothing more than to resume what you were doing before the interruption, you still have to know. "Doesn't it bother you?"

He's back on his phone too, hopefully still dealing with his lawyer. "I do like my privacy, yeah, I'm not an exhibitionist, you know. But it's not like it was on purpose."

Huh?

What…

But… that's not… that's not what the _problem_ is.

The problem is you're both--

No. Your mind is the problem. Because it's 2016. Nobody gives a fuck if you're gay, Richie Tozier.

You let that thought sink in, and it doesn't do much to quench your worries. That fear, that fear of being outed, of being laughed at has been ingrained so deep within your brain, by the town, by Pennywise, that you just can't think about it much, or your stomach will start complaining.

You totally want to have sex with Eddie, though.

Gay sex. Y'know, 'cause you're gay.

Wait.

Is _Eddie_ out? Is he…

 _What_ is Eddie? Other than a sexy vampire?

"Rich? Rich? Did you hear me? I asked if you're really okay with going to New York with me right now, do you have anything you need to--"

"Fuck Eddie, I'm gay!" You blurt it out with your face on the pillow, and when you gather the strength to look at him, he's giving you such a withering look you wonder if he's channeling Stan.

Then he notices the panic on your face, and you can see he's connected the dots. "Oh shit. All those stupid girlfriend jokes, and you said you don't write your own shit. Did… did you never… Is this the first time you tell someone?"

"Yeah, man! What the fuck! Why are you so fucking chill about it?"

"Hey, hey, calm down, it's okay." He lies down and takes you in his arms once again, one hand moving slowly on your hair while the other makes soothing circles on your back. Is he ambidextrous? "You know, you don't have to tell anyone if you don't want to. But you _need_ to know that everything will be okay if you do. You know that, right?"

You shake your head, and he kisses your hair.

"Richie… listen, whatever you decide, I'll be here with you. I'm not gonna think any less of you if you decide you can't tell anyone. And I'll be holding your hand when you decide that you will."

When, not if. He sure does have faith in you. "Eds… fuck. I… I really don't want any more people calling me a fa--"

"Hey. Only guys with microdicks use that word, and I know first hand you don't fall in that category." You sob a laugh on his chest. Fuck. Maybe he should be the comedian. "If someone does, just remember that and laugh at them. Y'know, word on the street is that Bowers had such a tiny one, he needed tweezers to jack off."

You laugh again and raise your head, hoping your eyes aren't too red. "I'll think about it, Eds. I promise you. You gotta understand, though. This is what Pennywise used against me. Bowers terrorizing me about it, that big fucking macho Bunyan statue. Fuck, that was bullshit." You breathe a long sigh. "Even the fucking _Very Scary_ door, do you remember that?"

Eddie frowns at you. "What does Betty Ripsom's legs have to do with anything? Huh, Betty Ripsom. Even her name came back to me."

"No, not that. When I opened it… it was a fucking closet, alright? God, Pennywise really was a bitch."

"Really? I don't think I noticed it."

You roll your eyes. "Of course you didn't, because you're so cool about it for some reason. I'm not, though. They fucking imprinted in my DNA that being gay was bad and wrong, and I should feel horrible for it. Or they'd kill me, probably."

"Richie…"

"No, I know what you're gonna say Eds, don't worry. I know. I just… I just need some time to make my brain understand, you know?" He nods at you and you smile. "You're my favorite person in the world, I told you that already, right?" Then you blow a raspberry. On his clothed belly, and he still makes a face. "By the way, how _are_ you so fucking cool with all this shit anyway?"

Eddie looks away, but he's smiling. "Let's just say college was a very enlightening experience for me, alright?"

You gasp out loud. "Edward James Kaspbrak!"

"Not my middle name. I don't even have a middle name."

"Were you a fucking lothario in college? Are you _still_ a fucking lothario?"

"Big word, Rich. Remind me not to play you on Scrabble. And no, I was never a playboy, alright? I just… tried some of this and some of that and figured hey, I like this and I like that."

You're still kind of gaping at him. "So you're--"

"Bisexual yeah, it was never a secret. Myra knows about it. I'm sure you don't wanna hear about it, but we met at a gay bar, actually." You feel like a grade-a moron for forgetting bisexual people exist. Damn, that girl you tried to date once even talked to you about her ex-girlfriend. Maybe, just maybe it's time to stop living in the 90s small-town mindset and come to the real world, Richard. "Anyway, I should have said something, y'know, when you asked if I had gotten married to a woman. But I was kinda pissed at you and kinda trying not to let on that I totally wanted to kiss you, so I played the defensive. Then the moment passed. Dude, I agreed with you when you said Ben was hot."

How many times more is he going to surprise you? "Yeah, but that proves nothing. You can be straight and find guys hot, can't you?" He's wanted to kiss you too, from the very beginning. How is this real?

Eddie shrugs. "I wouldn't know."

"Damn, we could've… I could've…" Before you can dwell on missed opportunities because it doesn't matter anymore, you slowly shake your head at him. "Fuck it, I'd probably would have been too chickenshit to do something about it anyway. Besides, the mood was pretty much ruined after that fortune cookie bullshit. But uh, good for you, though. About college."

"Yeah? You didn't have a good time?"

"Uh, not exactly. While you were getting your dick wet in puss and butts, I was trying to figure out how many fingers to get in a girl because I couldn't get it up for her."

Eddie snorts. "Maybe you should write that one down for a future bit."

Smiling, you kiss his neck softly. "Maybe I should, Eds."

"Seriously, though. Really sucks you didn't get to have fun in college. Imagine if we had gone to the same one. We could have bumped heads."

"Oh, you mean like sword fighting? Oh boy, I'd be so down for that." Before Eddie can say anything, you continue. "Now come on Eduardo. Get your mind out of the gutter, stop crying on my shoulder and let's go. I believe I promised you some childhood memories, and we still have the long drive to the manzana grande."

Eddie rolls his eyes hard at you. "Beep fucking beep, Richie."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you can't picture Eddie in college, lemme help you out
> 
> Also Eddie Kaspbrak says: If you don't experiment in college like you know you want to, you're gonna have a bad time.  
> [(Didn't realize the gif didn't link back, here's the link)](https://lovedeluxe.tumblr.com/post/624738685060104192/james-ransone-characters-attraction-to-men)


	4. Chapter 4

The drive to the Kissing Bridge is fairly quiet, and you want to make it quick, because the video call is in an hour, and you don't even know what you're going to say.

When he sees where you've stopped, he gives you another Stan look. "Are you serious? Do you wanna make out on the fucking Kissing Bridge?"

"God, no. I just wanted to show you something. Come here." He walks around the car and meets you where you're standing with your hand covering the carving. "I made this when I was 13, and then again a couple weeks ago after you-- after, y'know." You remove your hand and let Eddie see your handiwork.

You look fondly at it, a happier memory now than both of the previous times you were here. Then you look at Eddie, and his eyes are so wide you think they'll pop out of his skull. "I… I saw it. I remember I saw it once and thought, huh, what a coincidence." Then he raises those amazing, incredible eyes at you, and they're sparkling with obvious nostalgia. "I'm gonna kiss you on the Kissing Bridge, Richie."

You smile nervously at him. "Like hell you are." You start to back away towards the car, but Eddie's fast. He was always fast.

"I'm not usually a big fan of PDA, but look around, there's literally no one else here, Rich. Now get over here and give me a big smooch. For old time's sake."

You do look around, and the place is so deserted you can't even see animals, nothing moving anywhere your eyes land. You let him pull you toward himself and sigh, seriously hoping you won't hurl all over him. "Fine, make it quick."

But Eddie just rests his head on your shoulder, holding you tight. "Just this is enough, Richie." Your heart ignites, and for a moment you kind of wish someone was there so they could take a picture of you two like that, right here in this place. Then Eddie's releasing you, that sparkle still in his eyes as he pulls you back to the car. "Thanks. For making this." He does take a picture of it. Of your first confession.

You'd devote your whole life to him. Even if you can't kiss him in the stupid bridge like he wanted to. You swear to yourself you're going to try.

Back at the inn, you pack up your few belongings, and Eddie goes to change his clothes. When he comes out of the bathroom in a smart as fuck slate blue suit with the blazer unbuttoned and no tie, perfectly fitted and probably tailor made, you have to bite your tongue to suppress a moan. Then you realize you don't really have to.

"Damn, why do you even have those shitty polos when you can look like that all the time?"

"What? Like I'm gonna wear my good clothes to run around the sewers after a fucking monster, dickwad!"

"You wore a shitty polo in our 27 year reunion, man. I mean, when I saw you, my first thought was that I should immediately get you out of those. Because they were hideous and not because I wanted to see you naked."

"Compared to the stupid shirt you were wearing, I don't think it was that bad. And you know, technically, it wasn't a 27 year reunion, I mean, yeah, Bev left pretty soon, then Bill when he was 14. You left when we were 17, so--"

Uh-oh. If he starts going on tangents, he'll never stop. "Beep-beep, Eds."

Eddie groans. "Okay, yeah, irrelevant. Why do you still dress like when we were kids anyway?"

You hold an invisible phone to your ear. "Hello pot? Yeah, this is kettle. Just calling to say you're black. Yeah, hi. How's the wife?"

Eddie shrugs. "Whatever. The only one who dressed up for it was Bev anyway, and she has to, it's like, her job. Besides, I did say let's take our shirts off and kiss, remember?"

Now it's your turn to groan. "Thank you for reminding me you watch _South Park_." You say the name of the show as if it were a disease.

"What? It's funny."

" _It's funny,_ " you mock him. "I beg of you, don't ever laugh at me or any of my jokes ever again."

"Please. Like you have to ask. Oh, speaking of clothes, I left your jacket back at the, y'know, cave. Should we go back and get it?" 

"What? No, forget that, man. I have like, six others just like it, don't worry about it."

He nods and goes to fix up his suitcases for the tenth time, and you send Julian a message. Family emergency. Terminal. Very painful, very sad. Cancel all schedules, give people their refunds, whatever it takes. You cannot make it, and that's final. It's better than the vague "it's a fucking emergency, can't talk right now" you gave him the day you left for Derry, but he still calls you a couple times, and when you refuse to answer, his last message is only a resigned, "Fine." For how long you're going to stretch this family member's life you're not sure, nor do you particularly care right now. All you care about is that Eddie is here, that's the only thing that matters to you at the moment. You'll deal with your maybe derailing career later. If Julian can keep the starving beasts away from you long enough, you'll give him a raise next time you see him.

However you feel about Eddie though, it doesn't mean you don't love heckling the hell out of him. "Are you done? Are you finally satisfied with how each and every item of clothing is arranged in your bag?"

Eddie mutters something under his breath, something that suspiciously sounds a whole deal like a barely restrained "I'll satisfy you", and hands you his laptop so you can login to your account. "Yep. So, how are we doing this?"

You gawk at him, wondering if you heard him right, then you just shake your head. "Eh, I think we should just wing it, y'know? Just… stay back at the beginning, because, well, it's a fucking surprise, then whatever happens, happens." Eddie nods, and you lean against the headboard. He sits by the window just like he was last night the first time you saw him alive again. He looks so good you instinctively reach for your phone to take a picture of him, but then Mike comes online, and a few seconds later, Bev and Ben. Right, you haven't even told Eddie they got together. Bill's the last one to get on the call, and it's only then that you unmute yourself and turn on your webcam. "Heeey Losers!"

"Richie!" Bev smiles so beautifully at you that you can't help mimicking her. "Finally! Never thought I'd say this, but I missed your jokes. How're you doing?" Ben is smiling just as brightly beside her. And there's a dog too. Holy shit, they got a dog together already? Wait no, that's probably just Ben's mutt he wouldn't shut up about. It looks like a very good boy, you'll give him that.

"I am fan-tucking-fastic. Fenomenal! Fellatio!"

Bill laughs. "There it is."

"Well, we're all really glad to hear that, man." Ben does a little salute with two fingers, which you find adorable. No one's noticed Mike hasn't said anything, obviously because he doesn't want to spoil it, and you don't know how long you can keep hiding it. The not-at-all dirty and actually pretty damn miraculous little secret.

"But yeah, actually, I'm not the belle of the ball today." You pat on the bed beside you and Eddie rolls his eyes with a big grin. Then you tilt the monitor enough so he can get in the frame, and you can quite distinctly hear the three gasps.

"Uh, hey guys." Eddie waves at the webcam.

"Yeah, he's a walking dead, kay, bye!" You start closing the lid of the laptop to the incoherent screams from your friends on the screen and Eddie beside you telling you they're called _walkers_ , you dork.

Then you open up the lid again, not really looking at it. "Whatever, man, I only watch that SyFy one, okay, it's way better and DJ Qualls rules."

"How is it better? Their doctor's a stoner and their sharpshooter has a slingshot."

"Well, Eds. For starters, their doctor's a stoner. Also, their sharpshooter has a slingshot." It's getting increasingly harder to ignore the Losers on the screen, and you can't keep from smiling giddily anymore. "How about you guys, which one do you think it's better?"

Bev's the one who finally shushes everyone enough so she can yell, "Eddie! Oh my God! How? How are you here?" Then her expression darkens, and you know exactly what she's thinking and beat her to it.

"It's not back. We really did kill the fucker for realsies. This is the real, one and only Edvard von Kaspbrak. I dug him up and Frankensteined him."

Eddie pushes you away and takes the laptop from you. "I'm not a zombie, and I'm not Frankenstein. But--"

"Frankenstein was the doctor, not the monster, genius." You kick his shin like a twelve year old.

"Yeah? Well, he created the monster, so technically you could say the monster was his son, and that would give him which last name, huh? Genius." As you grin at his reply, he turns his attention back to the Losers, who are quietly watching your banter. "Anyway, my segue is officially derailed, but here's what really happened. Oh, you guys have to pinky swear not to tell anyone."

While he tells them his absurd, yet weirdly believable tale of acquired vampirism, you grab your phone and take about ten shots of him, five of which he's flipping you off without even looking at you, still running his mouth a mile a minute. You choose one as your wallpaper and another as the screen-lock.

Then you jump back on the bed, trying to peek at the screen, but you're too low, and Eddie keeps moving the laptop away from you, still talking. "--told him no, over and over, but I'm sure you all know just how stubborn this idiot is, and--"

"Well, what were you planning to do if I hadn't offered, fuckface? Hold up a blood bank?"

He explains carefully that he's leaving his wife because it wasn't exactly a healthy relationship, and that you two are basically going to hang out until he can figure things out. Talking very casually, like he's not going to fuck your brains out. Hopefully. And he also explains about the… feeding process, promising it isn't the least bit dangerous, and he'll take proper care of you. "It's not like donating blood, the wound closes in a day, and he'll recover much more quickly. I still don't really understand how the whole thing works, but I've been doing this with someone for over ten years, and there was never any problem." They understand, they know how much you care about each other. In the end, Bill's the only one who's still a little skeptical about it. Fucking Bill. Who writes horror stories

"So… no fangs? No super strength or hypnotism, or allergy to the sunlight? No eternal life?"

Eddie rolls his eyes, his whole head, actually. "No, Bill. None of that." He turns away from the monitor then, face darkening. "Super strength would have been really helpful a couple of weeks ago, wouldn't it? Probably would have made me a little bit less of a wuss."

You groan. "Eddie--"

But Bill speaks faster than you for once. "Eds, no one was braver than you down there. You faced your fears and you came through. If it weren't for you, we probably wouldn't have defeated It. So don't sell yourself short."

Eddie looks like he's about to cry, so you hold his hand, nodding, agreeing with Bill and hoping he will too. Then he smiles, eyes shining, and you almost sit up and kiss him. But you're not quite ready for something like that just yet.

"Thanks, Bill. Um, back to your questions, about eternal life, well, I guess it's probably harder to kill me, as I recently found out, and I'll keep getting older just like normal. Until I get tired of it, I guess, so I'll just stop feeding and that's that."

You pat his leg. "Don't get gloomy on me, man, geez, this is supposed to be a celebration."

"Yeah, it's not like I'm gonna go and do that tomorrow, dipshit. It's gonna take decades. And I mean, who wants to live forever and all that, right? I know I don't. But like, I just plan to go on living like a normal fucking human being, okay?"

"A normal human being who just happens to need blood and can heal being skewered by an alien demon."

"Yeah, that."

"What if… what if you stop feeding because you're done and then end up regretting it? That's probably what happened to your sire lady." Fuck, who's getting gloomy now?

"Then I'll fucking die, Rich. But like I said, decades from now, alright? Like five, six, who knows. Frankly I'm kind of terrified to find out how much old I can get without dying, and I definitely don't wanna go through that. But it's not like I'm gonna turn fifty and go, welp, I'm done."

It occurs to you that you two are the only ones talking for the past few minutes, so maybe you should cut the reunion short and get together again when things feel more… normal for everyone. So you sit up, pushing the laptop slightly so they can see you. "Anyway, all supernatural talk aside, we got a long drive ahead of us, and I'm not sure how fast grandpa here can go."

"Hey, fuck you man. I drive way faster than you, we raced that night after the restaurant, and I won."

"Wait, we were racing that night? Because you were driving so slowly in front of me that I figured I'd just keep on following you in case you had fallen asleep at the wheel." Before Eddie's next 'fuck you', you realize you're doing it again. "Goodbyes, Eds. See you laters, Eds." Surprisingly, he relents, and you both wave goodbye to everyone, including Mike, whom you hold zero grudges against now, and even feel guilty for being mad at him before. He probably wouldn't come to say goodbye face to face anyway, not wanting to disturb you two again.

Eddie packs the laptop, frowning a bit as if he had forgotten something. "Why were Bev and Ben together? Are they--"

"Yeah, they're fucking." At Eddie's extremely reprimanding look, you correct yourself. "They're sweetly in love with each other, making poetry against the sheets every night. Probably. You could've asked them, y'know."

"I guess. Didn't want to like, have them think I was assuming shit."

You stand up and walk towards him, passing both arms around his neck and kissing his forehead. "You're a goddamn prince, you know that?"

He raises an eyebrow suspiciously at you. "Why do I get the feeling that you're mocking me?"

"What, I'd never." Walking backwards, you pull him with you until you're sitting on the bed. "So, does all that phone fidgeting this morning mean we can have a little fun?"

Eddie sighs long and loudly, holding your head against his stomach. "Fuck, Richie. I'm so sorry… I just… regardless of how I feel about Myra, it would be awful doing this to her, y'know? I have no idea how long the divorce is gonna take, and I'm not asking you to wait that long. Just… just until I get her to understand that I'm leaving, to make it clear that we're not getting back together. Because she refused to, on the phone. But I will talk properly with her as soon as I'm back in New York. Will you wait for me until then?"

You blow another raspberry on his stomach. "I've been waiting for you all my life, Eds. You don't even have to ask." You try to hide your disappointment, but damn if Eddie being the decent human being that he is doesn't make you like him even more.

He bends down a little, holding your face up and kissing you softly. "I already feel guilty about kissing you, but you make it damn difficult to keep my hands to myself. I don't even wanna think about what I would have done if Mikey hadn't interrupted us."

Yeah, neither do you.

With your plans of fooling around before leaving definitely foiled, you lie back down holding a pillow to your chest to try and deceive your need to have Eddie there instead. "Fuck, no, okay, let's talk then. We still have to wait for the guy that's gonna drive back my rental since I gotta pay them, and I have to wait for my blue balls to ease up."

"Richie, I told you--"

"It's fine, asshole. I'm just fucking with you. Tell me… tell me about you. Why do you have the body of like, a personal trainer? When did you become a sex god? Did it come with the vampire thing or you're just a natural? Because I gotta tell you, you're still the neurotic little shit I remember, but when it comes to this… fuck. Is it like a damn switch on the back of your head or something? Does it go from nerd mode to the Man Your Man Could Smell Like mode?"

Eddie smiles and sits beside you, not quite touching you for a moment, until he grabs your hand and just holds it in place. "Well, I guess there's one thing I should be thankful to my mom for, because with all of the fear of disease she input in my brain my whole life, I ended up being obsessed with being the healthiest I could possibly be. And that includes hitting the gym regularly. And I'm not sure what you mean with that sex god thing, but I guess… I'm just comfortable with bedroom situations?" Your brain tries not to explode at 'bedroom situations'. "It's one of the only times I feel like I can shed all of my bullshit and just be myself, you know? It's the only time I don't feel like… like I have to be all neat and clean all the time." Your brain explodes at The Implications. His thumb is drawing circles on the palm of your hand, and you don't think he's even noticed he's doing it. "Sex is a different kind of dirty. A good kind."

You pull your hand from his, holding it in front of you in a defensive manner. "Okay, timeout. That… that was a total miscalculation on my part. Getting you to talk about sex when I'm trying not to jump your bones? Yep, totally my fault. Richie Tozier, Dumbass Extraordinaire. That's the title of my next tour. I apologize, and now we're gonna talk about unsexy things, like your boring job or how long you spend taking care of your hair. Wait, that might end up going up the sexy route again, forget that."

He frowns. "How would hair care be sexy? And right now, I just put some pomade on."

Whatever the fuck that is. "Have you seen _There's Something About Mary_?"

Eddie looks completely disgusted at you. "Do you think I put cum in my hair? That's not sexy, that's gross as fuck, Richie, what the fuck! Besides, I think it's your turn to speak."

"Ask away, my life's an open book. Oh no, wait. My life's a fucking locked closet."

"Just… what's up with your glasses? Don't think I didn't notice they're not those Coke bottle glasses you used to have when we were kids."

"Oh that? Yeah, I had a couple surgeries, so I'm not _as_ blind as I used to be." You hand him your glasses, and he puts it on. "From this distance I can see your purty face perfectly."

He snorts, then the reception calls to let you know the driver is here. "C'mon, let's go. It's a seven hour drive and we still have to buy provisions." He gives you back your glasses and gets up, pushing his giant bags through the door, and just as you're about to do the same, he turns around on the doorway. "By the way, you look pretty sexy without your glasses. But then again, you look pretty sexy with them on too." Then he leaves.

Fuck Eddie Kaspbrak.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's funny because Bill Hader writes/has written for South Park


	5. Chapter 5

After uselessly calling shotgun, you insist on manning the radio on the car, because you don't want to be subjected to Eddie's geezer taste in music. But then he plugs in his phone and insists you pick something from it.

His wallpaper is the picture he took of you naked.

You really, _really_ wish you could go to the backseat and neck like a couple of teenagers.

He's got a bunch of old songs, but you don't feel like calling him a grandpa anymore. Because they make you feel good. You can't remember the last time you listened to any of those bands, but they taste like nostalgia. Like afternoons in the Barrens clubhouse; a hammock with Eddie. Smoking under the bleachers with Bev. Sleepovers with Bill and Stan, watching movies and eating junk food. You never spent much time alone with either Ben or Mike, but they were always there too. Always on your mind, all of them. Makes you think of something you read in a book a long time ago.

_I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve. Jesus, did you?_

You know you didn't.

You want to hear more about Eddie's college years, even though it makes you slightly jealous, and he wants to hear about your life as a comedian, so you exchange stories, laughing like you don't have a care in the world, and at the moment, you really don't.

"One time my friends managed to drag me to a kegstand, and I was like, there's no way I'm gonna put my mouth in that, but in the next second they were flipping me upside down, and I didn't wanna look like a pussy in front of everyone, so I just went with it. All of a sudden everyone started counting, and I heard this guy in the back going, "holy shit that nerd Kaspbrak's gonna break the fucking record", so I kept going. Thought I was gonna die, but I kept going. In the end, I didn't break any records, but someone stuck their tongue in my mouth and called me a good sport, and I was like, what the fuck, oh well, maybe this isn't so terrible. Then I flunked my test the next day, and that was my first and last kegstand."

You're laughing so hard, you're out of breath. "You absolute fucking animal! My first kegger, I lasted like five seconds, and then they dropped me, and I threw up on a girl's shoes!" Eddie joins in on your laughter. Your heart aches with the desire to have been there with him. What would have happened if you hadn't forgotten? You like to at least think you would have had the balls to tell him how you felt.

Eventually he does ask if you want to put on some of your music. "Even though I'm afraid to ask what kind of shit do you even listen to."

"Eh, you know. A little bit of everything. _Eminem, K-Pop, The Lonely Island_." You plug in your phone as you speak.

Eddie glares at you, but only for a second, and his eyes are back on the road. "Did you just say, ' _K-Pop_ '?"

"Yeah, man. Korean shit, pretty good." You bring out _Gangnam Style_ , and Eddie punches you in the arm, laughing. "I have no fucking clue what K-Pop is, alright. A bunch of pretty boys and catchy tunes. Ben probably loves it." After a few songs, you go back to Eddie's playlist; you won't admit it, but he's got way better taste than you. If only you had stuck with your _Tears for Fears_ cassettes.

There's a question burning in your mind, and you ponder over it for a few minutes of comfortable silence until you manage to get it out. "Were you ever going to… y'know, tell me? If I hadn't blurted it out like a maniac?"

Eddie's eyes don't leave the road, but you can see how his smile lights them up when he catches on what you're not elaborating. "Yeah, Rich. Of course I would. This whole experience has been pretty damn eye opening for me, and I wouldn't want to live with any more hang-ups, y'know? I'd probably settle things with Myra first, though. But the way we're doing it is fine too." His smile has morphed into a huge grin. "I wanted to kiss you out of the deadlights, y'know. Like Ben did to Bev when we were kids. But you were too high up for me to reach."

You feel all gooey inside. "Yeah, well, I didn't ask you to be so damn sho--"

"Don't. Or I'll take it all back."

You laugh. "Duly noted, señor Kaspbrak."

Now you want to know even more.

"So… what, you would've just called me to inform me you were the newest hot bachelor in Manhattan and ask me out on a date?"

"Hm… something like that. Or maybe I'd come to one of your shows, casually stalk you afterwards in case you didn't notice me. Then… uh, let's see. I'd ask if you knew who I had a crush on back in high-school."

"Okay, that would break my heart a little because I'd be totally clueless, and I'd probably go over everyone of our friends and classmates I could think of. Then I guess I'd move to the teachers."

Eddie explodes in laughter. "Gross! Not only were they fucking ancient, they all looked like the spawn of Satan!" 

"Who knows, whatever floats your boat, Eds. Then I'd start getting antsy and tell you that high-school crushes were pointless, and after a drink or eleven I'd ask if you had a crush on someone now."

"So I'd ask you to take me out for dinner and a movie, and maybe I'd tell you in the morning."

You gawk at him. "Holy shit, Eds! How the fuck are you Mr. Smooth even when we're playing fucking make-believe?"

Eddie shrugs. "Guess you just bring it out of me."

You still talk some more about this little fantasy, before going back to stories from college and the stage. In between 80s and 90s rock, you arrive in New York way sooner than you thought you would, and you have to decide whether to congratulate Eddie on actually really being a good driver (even though he _just_ yelled " _Shut your fucking face, unclefucker!_ " at someone) or thank him for not crashing the car like he said he did when Mike called. "Eds, you're like the wind. I can't believe we didn't die."

He just looks at you in confusion. "Let's find a decent hotel, and we'll deal with everything else tomorrow."

"Sounds like a plan, Edsman." He drives around until he finds an obviously four-star hotel, and you whistle. "He dresses like a rich person (occasionally), drives like a rich person. Edward, are you telling me you play _Risk_ all day and it pays so well that it actually made you… a rich person?"

He pauses for a moment, doing that Eddie Kaspbrak Hand Thing™ at you. "I don't play _Risk_ all day, dipshit, alright? Someday I'm gonna sit you down and tell you exactly what it is that I do, and you're gonna listen."

"Yeah, don't stay up waiting for that, because I won't." You follow Eddie inside.

"Besides, aren't you like, a famous person? Don't you go on tours? What kinds of hotels do you stay at?"

"I'll just stay at whatever they have, it's not like it matters. Just a place to sleep and get fucked until the next show." When he stops walking and gives you _a look_ , you roll your eyes and lower your voice. "I meant booze, geez, closet, remember? Denial? I don't exactly have a line of boytoys at my beck and call to help me with my repressed sexual needs." After what seems like years, you reach the reception desk. "And I'm not that famous."

"Richie Tozier! Saw your show in Vegas last year, man! Good stuff."

You smile and wave at the fan. "Thanks, buddy. The fun's just beginning." Was that the line? Then you look back at Eddie. "I'm really not."

Eddie huffs. "Whatever you say, Rich." Then he asks for a room with two queens, and it takes you a moment of moping until you realize he probably didn't do it because he didn't want to share a bed with you again, but to avoid suspicion regarding your coward, closeted ass.

You're gonna work on that. You promise.

In the room, Eddie calls first shower, and you're just happy to fall down on one of the beds face first, exhausted from the trip. You dream of Eddie's sexy naked torso, of him sitting on the other bed clad only in a towel and tapping on his phone, his arms just as toned and sexy as the rest of him. "Oh, you're up? I asked them to bring our bags, but you can go ahead and shower if you want to. They'll be here any minute."

Yeah, you're up alright. "Yeah, I'm gonna jack off in the shower if that's cool with you." Wait. You didn't mean to say that out loud. He stops tapping and looks at you. He looks guiltily at you. "Shit, Eds. Look, I'm ki--"

"I uh, I did it too."

Oh.

When you don't move from your spot, he continues. "We spent seven hours in a car, with you smelling and sounding and looking like you do. Can you blame me? Knowing I wasn't gonna be able to touch you… I couldn't help it, Richie."

"Woah, woah, I'm not blaming anyone. I just admitted I'm about to go do the exact same thing, didn't I?" You leave your shirt on the bed and pull up your undershirt, throwing it at Eddie, who catches it with a smirk. "Something to remember me by while I'm gone." You wink at him, and close the bathroom door behind you, leaning against it with your eyes closed.

God. Eddie's killing you. And you fucking love it. Even if you're not at all used to any of this, to feeling like this, to having someone else feeling like this about you. It's weird, but not at all unwelcome. Something you didn't even know you wanted. Something you're starting to think you probably need, actually.

It baffles you how relaxed you are with being all open and touchy with Eddie, because the last time you were with someone, you had a bit of a freakout. It's been so long, but you still vaguely remember. Maybe he's just your comfort zone. Everything about him makes you feel like you're wrapped up in a cosy, warm blanket. You only hope you can make him feel like that too.

You were never a big fan of how you look; most fans think you're hot. You think you're scruffy. Funny looking, that's a good one. Eddie likes it, apparently, so you think it's pretty pointless to dwell on that.

You take a deep breath and drop your jeans on the bathroom floor. Eddie was jacking off here just minutes ago. To you.

The moment the water hits your face, you're already at it, hand moving fast as you imagine Eddie doing the same. Then it's his hands on you, stroking hard as he bites your lip and grabs your ass to bring you even closer.

 _I want you so much_ , he would say, fingers already teasing you. _I wanna take you right here in the shower._ Then he'd turn you around and

"Fuck, yes." Just a whisper. Hand moves faster, fingers thrusting hard, not even touching that place you like. You just need to feel something inside. Eddie. Eddie inside you. Eddie fucking you while you jerk yourself off. Eddie licking your neck and pinching your nipples, moaning your name. Eddie saying he loves you. 

You come with a whimper.


	6. Chapter 6

Eddie is in his sleeping clothes when you come back to the room. Bummer. And you realize you don't have anything clean to wear. "Uh… do you think you could lend me some sweatpants? I packed for like two days." He glares at you, and you shrug. "I could just stay in the towel. Or naked. Or back on my dirty clothes. Which one do you prefer?"

"I'll get you something. Jesus, Rich. We gotta do something about this." He gets up, and in a second he's holding you a t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants.

"Yeah, no sweat, I'll just hit up a Target tomorrow." You take the clothes while Eddie looks at you as if trying to figure out if you're serious or not. And because you decided he doesn't deserve another show, you go and change in the bathroom. He's seen you naked twice now and you haven't seen him even once. Not fucking fair.

When you come out, he's put his phone in the charger and is getting under the covers.

You look at your bed, then at him. "Sooo…" He smiles sweetly and holds the covers up for you. You don't think twice before getting the lights and going for it. "Y'know, if you have guns like those, how the fuck did you lose to me at arm wrestling that time?"

"What… What are you talking about? You're stronger than me."

Does he sound nervous? "I'm bigger than you, because you're a pygmy." He kicks your shin. "But I basically live a sit-down life and never have I ever committed the sin of going to a gym."

"I… fine. I didn't wanna tell you, because you seem to think I'm this suave sex savant for some reason, and I kinda like the idea of you seeing me like that. But I was… I was just so happy at that moment, to be around you guys and uh, to be holding your hand, that I wasn't paying much attention."

This is it. This is when your heart finally gives in and breaks away from your chest. But all you can say is, "Awww."

"Hey, shut up. I could totally beat you if we got a rematch."

And while you don't doubt that, you're not ready to surrender now that you've seen this soft side of him. "Sure, Eds. Whatever helps you sleep at night. Speaking of which, do you think it'd be considered cheating if we spooned a little bit?"

He's silent for a while, and you panic for a moment, wondering if you pushed it too far. "I'm not sure. Why don't we try and see?"

Before you know what's happening, he's turning around and pulling your arm around his waist, his back against your chest. "Oh. I thought--"

"I'm sorry if you wanted to be the little spoon, but it would be kind of uncomfortable for me given your sasquatchian build. Aren't you used to-- shit, sorry. Am I being an insensitive asshole?"

"Nah, don't worry about it, it's okay. I never wanted to, before." It's not how you imagined, but now that he said it, it makes sense. Just because you're looking forward to having his crotch area meet with your backside, it doesn't mean you have to sleep like that. And it feels good, being this close to Eddie feels amazing. You smell his hair, hoping he won't notice, still unsure where the boundary lines lie.

"Wanna talk about it?" He laces his fingers with yours, resting your hand on his stomach. His t-shirt has bunched up a little, so you're in direct contact with his happy trail, which in turn also makes you very happy.

"Hmm… not really, not right now." It should embarrass you that a man of your age has never cuddled with anyone before, but you really can't be arsed to be bothered about it. "Right now I just wanna lie here and pretend I haven't inhaled a fatal amount of toxic fumes back in the sewers and I'm about to go to the big closet in the sky."

Eddie moves his arm to elbow you, but it doesn't really reach you. "Fuck, why are you so far away?"

"I, uh, didn't wanna wake you up tomorrow with Richie Jr poking your ass."

You _hear_ him rolling his eyes. "Don't be stupid, I'm not gonna freak out because your dick works like it should. I'd freak out if it didn't."

You exhale hard, and even in the mostly dark room, even without your glasses, you're close enough that you can see the pinpricks forming on his neck. You'd feel bad that you can't run a finger over it if your hand weren't in such a fun place right now. "Fine, I was just trying to be nice, alright? I don't exactly have a major in bedroom etiquette in case it isn't obvious."

Eddie squirms under your arm until he can turn around. His eyes are big and warm, and he reaches a hand to card his fingers through your hair. "Who knew you'd grow up to be so adorable, Richie Tozier? C'mere." Before you can dwell on what exactly he means by that, he pulls your head towards his chest and holds you against him, still fondling your hair. "Listen, I know we shouldn't be talking about this just yet, but fuck it." He snorts. "I'm not a big fan of 'catching', if you understand baseball analogies for sex. But waking up to your hard cock against my ass would be a huge fucking turn on. So don't fret if something like that happens, okay?"

"Hhh…" You can't speak, because your entire body, including your throat feels like jello.

"Just go to sleep and don't worry about anything." He kisses your hair and does his best to arrange you both until you're comfortable. Your legs are tangled with his, and his crotch is flush against your stomach. Even soft you can feel him, and it's exhilarating. He's so warm, so hot in all senses of the word.

Just as you're about to fall asleep, you open your eyes again. "Wait, you didn't think I was adorable when we were kids? Because I had an aunt who would always say I was a total cutie pie whenever she came over."

"No, I used to think you were cool, remember? Now I'm not so sure anymore… cutie pie."

"Agh. I just gave you free ammo, didn't I."

Eddie laughs softly. "Goodnight, Rich."

Your dream takes you back to when you were kids, and this time, you actually have the guts to tell Eddie how you feel before you leave Derry and forget all about him. And he tells you he feels the same, and you kiss, and instead of leaving with your family, you both run away together.

You work in a small restaurant, washing dishes while Eddie cooks, and everyone in the kitchen loves you both, and are not bothered at all that you spend your breaks making out behind the building.

Then the restaurant is a bar, and you're telling jokes in front of a large audience, and Eddie's sitting at a table in the front, wearing a white coat and a stethoscope around his neck. Huh, guess he really did end up becoming Dr. K.

And then you're rolling around in bed naked, kissing and being silly, fingers tangled in hair, bodies moving against one another. Eddie moans your name over and over, and it feels so good and warm like you're falling, you're falling into heaven-

"-chie. Rich, wake up, c'mon."

You open your eyes, and Eddie is on top of you.

Your eyes widen as you stare at his smiling face.

_I think I got It, man!_

"Fuck! Eddie, get down!" You put your arms around him and pull so fast he collides hard against you with an out of breath noise, and you roll him into safety hopefully, out of reach from that thing's deadly claw. Now you won't have to see his face as he dies in your arms anymore, pale and bloodied, frozen forever with that empty expression in his eyes.

"Richie?"

Oh, wait. 

You push him away a little, not really meeting his eyes. "Sorry, I… I thought it was back then." Just as you're about to get up, he holds you in place, and you look at him just in time to see his face darkening with understanding. 

"Shit. I'm the one who should be apologizing, I didn't realize, I… fuck…"

"No, no, no, it's okay, everything's okay. I'm serious. And because I really wouldn't want the image of you on top of me to be nightmare triggering, I think we should do some exposure therapy about it."

He's still frowning, until it dawns on him what you just said, then he smiles. "As much as I'd love to, we've got shit to do right now. I gotta go talk to Myra and… I don't know, get my stuff? I should be looking for a place, it's not like I wanna stay in a fucking hotel much longer. And we have to talk. How… how long can you stay, how are we gonna do this?"

You have no idea. Although your heart wants you to say you'd stay with him forever, just abandon your career and be with him, your brain knows that's not the right option. "I've been passing up a death in the family sort of story to my manager, and that can only hold out for so long. Maybe a week or ten days? And after that, I could always fly in once a month so you can get my sweet sangaree. It's like a two hour flight from Chicago, so it's no hassle."

Eddie sits up, bringing one of your hands to his lips. "I didn't mean just that. I want to do this properly. This you and me thing. Y'know, dating? Would you like that, Richie?"

Does he even have to ask? "Fuck Eddie, does the pope shit in the woods?"

He frowns. "I don't think he does, no. Are you saying no? Is that your way of letting me down easily, because--"

"No, what-- no! What the fuck? I always thought the answer to that was yes. But no, you're right, the pope probably shits in the poopmobile or something. What I'm trying to say is, I wanna date the fuck out of you, Edward. Like, go steady and go to prom and hold hands and all that. Who cares we're old men, we didn't get to do it when we were young, so we're doing it now." Your heart is beating frantically, the nasty memory from when you woke up back in the dark corners of your mind.

Eddie pulls you close and kisses you softly. "We're not that old. And I want to see you more than just once a month. But we'll talk more later. You have morning breath." He kisses you again and gets up. "Are you gonna go shopping? You could always just send your dirty clothes to the hotel laundry."

"I'll probably do both. I uh, I'll make sure to include these pants you lent me." Your mind goes back to the dream you were having, and its _happy ending_.

"Why? Did you--" He gives you that 'oh, you' look from some old meme. "See? Not that old."

After he leaves, you get back on your clothes from yesterday and make a little package for the hotel laundry, then search for a decent place to buy some threads. You need new glasses too, the broken ones you're wearing are too much of a reminder of things you rather forget.

Before leaving, you message Julian that you'll be home in ten days. It doesn't feel like enough time, but until you put your life back in order, it'll have to do.


	7. Chapter 7

You bought a bunch of fancy clothes, because you're on vacation and felt like it. Well, fancy to your standards. Silk shirts and a velvet coat among other things you're not even sure you'll ever wear. Especially since you're really hoping to spend most of this vacation naked.

With packages set to be delivered to the hotel and a brand new pair of glasses, you stop at a restaurant for a late lunch or early dinner, wondering if you should bother Eddie to ask him if he's eaten. You decide against it, though, you have no idea how long his talk with Myra will be, if he's even done by now. And you really don't want to come off as needy.

Did it go well, though? Or did she shackle him in their basement and now you'll have to go and rescue him while you have no idea where he lives? What if she threatens to tell people about him being a vampire? Well, you don't think people would believe that one, to be honest. What if he reconsidered and decided against--

You check the group chat to get your mind off things.

Bev has been posting a lot of pictures of her own vacation with Ben, and while Bill doesn't post as much, he comments on some of them. Mike still hasn't left Derry, but he's planning to next week.

Mike. He's the only one who knows about you and Eddie. You leave the group chat and send him a message.

 **You** : _so eds asked if i wanted to date him. can you believe him? like duh_

God, you feel so weird talking about that. But it doesn't bother you talking about it, at least with your friends.

It takes Mike a couple of minutes to reply.

 **Mike** : _I'm really happy for you both Rich. So I'm assuming he's separating then? Are you telling the others? You know they would love to hear about it_

You don't doubt they would, you just have no idea how to do it. They probably already know anyway; you don't think you were ever subtle when it came to Eddie. And now that you can stop and think about it, neither was he.

 **You** : _guess so. imma talk to him about it later. and hes doing it. now. talking to her. im dying send help_

You wonder why some people sound completely different while texting than what they usually are.

 **Mike** : _It'll be fine trust me_

 **You** : _why dyou know something??_

 **Mike** : _I know he cares a great deal about you so he would never do anything to hurt you and were gonna leave it at that_

Damn it, Mike knows something. Before you can think of ways to make him talk, you get a message from Eddie's number. The first one ever.

 **Eddie** : _dfssjhrel_

 **Eddie** : _sry_

 **Eddie** : _areyou ay hte hotl im comig,._

Is he drunk?

 **You** : _are you drunk?_

 **Eddie** : _waht np w hy_

 **You** : _are u textin n drivin?_

 **Eddie** : _f coarse n ot1 whtY_

Of all the things you could ever possibly imagine about Eddie, the fact that he's a very sloppy texter was not one of them.

 **You** : _no reason. ill be there soon. turn on your autocorrect grandpa_

Sure, you don't use it either, but you're not nearly unintelligible.

 **Eddie** : _Fuck You_

Oh sure, that he can spell just fine. You smile and pay for your meal.

The moment you enter the room, something flashes across it and tackles you as soon as you close the door. Okay, so Eddie's athletic as fuck, yes, that body's not just for show.

His tongue is in your mouth, and you only waste one second wondering if he'll complain that you didn't brush your teeth, but it's not like he gave you any time to do so. He himself tastes like some antacid you've had before, which from now on you'll probably always associate with this moment. But he doesn't say anything. He just breathes into the kiss, stealing your own breath for a moment, his nails raking over the nape of your neck. Your legs feel wobbly, and you realize you haven't even put your arms around him yet, they're just dangling uselessly by your sides.

So you raise them slowly, one of them going around his back while the other ends up on his hair, which you promptly mess up. God, he really must wear so much shit in that hair for it to be that soft. And so much hair, too. You wish he could spare you a few strands. 

He grabs the front of your shirt with both hands, pulling you away from the door and into the bed. Before he falls on it, you have to break the kiss, because you're pretty sure you're going to headbutt him if you don't.

You smile breathlessly at him. "So I take it things went well?"

He sighs. "Do you really wanna talk about it now?"

"No, uh-uh." You shake your head too in case that wasn't enough. Then he smiles too, and holy shit, why is he so good looking? "Have I mentioned you're the prettiest thing that's ever come across my field of vision? And I've stared at a lot of videos of kittens on my phone."

Eddie raises his eyebrows. "Really? You don't think my eyes are too big for my head, or that I have no upper lip, or that my teeth--"

"No, you're all around beautiful, shut the fuck up. Who told you all this bullshit?"

"The mirror." He puts a hand on your exasperated face. "I'm not insecure about how I look or anything, I'm just stating facts. It doesn't matter anyway. I don't care, and I don't want you trying to convince me otherwise."

"Well, try to ask shit not to stink while you're at it too, why don't you. Because beauty is in the eye of the beer holder, and I guess I'm just drunk all the time, then. I mean, look at me." You feel like your analogies have gotten away from you a little.

"Alright, I'm looking. You're pretty damn handsome. Fucking hot, I'd say."

"Am I?" He raises one eyebrow at you with a knowing look at your doubtful tone. "You said teeth, and I'm the one with the buck teeth."

"Which is incredibly cute."

"What, really?" Oh, now you're being like him. "Alright, I see your point."

"Beauty is subjective. Now are we gonna keep being two vain little bitches or are you gonna take off your clothes?"

"This all started because you can't take a fucking compliment, you know." You unbutton your shirt as you speak, but Eddie just lies there, watching. He even crosses his arms behind his head. You're straddling him, watching him in the eye as you pull your undershirt over your head and throw it somewhere. As you unzip your pants. You're starting to get nervous. "Jesus, say something."

"I bought coconut flavored lube because I figured it would go well with you."

For a moment, you have no idea of what to say. "Well, thank you for that, Captain Non-sequitur. But what are we doing here, are you gonna fuck with your clothes on? Because I was kinda looking forward to seeing the whole package. Hah, _package_ , get it?"

He grins, running a lazy hand through the rug on your chest. "Why don't you do it? I'd love to have your giant sexy hands undressing me."

You look down at him, in his expensive suit and shirt with the first two buttons already undone, and suddenly it feels like he's a bomb waiting to be defused by you. But in a good way, if that's at all possible. You don't know what to say, so you just get on with it. 

His eyes fall on your hands as you unbutton his shirt. "Are you okay?"

You look shortly at him, then back at your task. "Yeah, top of the world. Why you ask?"

"Your hands are shaking."

Only now you realize that, yep, that is a thing that's currently happening. "Well, Edward, I'm very excited right now, what were you expecting?"

He holds your wrists, halting your progress. "I changed my mind, let me do it."

"No, no, it's fine, let me."

"Rich… you're still on the first button." Oh. So you are. "Why don't you lie down and relax? I'll give you a massage if you want."

You sigh and do as he says. "You're the sexpert."

He finishes unbuttoning his shirt with a little more than a flick of his wrist. "Are you a virgin?" He asks with the casualty of talking about the weather.

It takes a second for your voice to come back to you. "I'm forty years old, man." Not that he's far off the mark.

"So was Steve Carell in that one movie." Eddie drops his jacket and shirt carelessly on the floor and stands up to do the same with his pants. Then his Calvin Kleins.

His dick is so pretty it makes you want to cry. "Not that I've seen many, but damn if that's not a goddamn majestic bird." He's not hard, though, barely at half mast.

He breaths out a laugh. "Thanks, man. See? I can take a compliment."

You roll your eyes because he sounds so cocky. Then you laugh. Haha, cocky. Mom jokes are out, but dick jokes are very much in. "Back to your question, I'm not. Well… failed experiments in college aside, it was only once, but it's been a really long time." You can't believe how easy it is to talk to Eddie about these things you've never told anyone before.

"Yeah? How long?" Back on the bed, he pulls on your jeans, which you never finished taking off and they join the growing pile of clothes beside the bed. He takes your underwear too, eyeing you almost clinically, as if he hadn't seen you before. Well, you suppose it's an entire different situation now.

"Uh… twelve years, give or take."

If he's shocked, he doesn't let on. "Tell me about it?"

"...Really? You wanna hear about me having sex with some other guy?"

"Sure." He leaves butterfly kisses all over your thighs until he reaches your hips, making you squirm and shiver. "I told you all kinds of stories about me when we were driving, didn't I?" Then he starts kissing your chest.

"There's… not much to tell." You mess up his hair some more, now that your hands aren't shaking anymore. "I met this guy at a bar and we went back to his place. We were super drunk, so I don't remember much. I let him fuck me and then he sucked me off."

As you say this out loud for the first time in your life, you feel a weight lift off your shoulders.

Eddie touches your face so you'll look at him. "Did you use protection?"

"Yeah, I even went to a clinic later to be sure. I never saw him again, never tried to. Gave him a wrong number and just put ten more locks in front of my now infamous closet and went into full denial mode. Never felt like doing it again anyway. Figured I was just not into it. Sex, y'know?"

He nods and kisses your neck, then your cheek. "But you are now? You want to now?"

"More than I want air in my lungs, yeah." Eddie smiles, and you kiss him. "You're a completely different story, Eds."

"And is that how you want it? For me to fuck you? Or do you want to fuck me?"

You hold his face with both hands and kiss him again. "Eddie. I've wanted you to fuck me ever since I saw you again at that stupid restaurant, in your stupid polo, with your stupid South Park references."

Another weight, right off. 

You'd say you've wanted him to fuck you ever since you were teenagers, but it feels kind of creepy, so you just keep that one to yourself.

He watches you for a moment, not laughing like you thought he would, just a subtle smile on his beautiful thin lips. You want to open your mouth and tell him you love him. Because you're sure of it, nevermind you still know so little about him, about the twenty something years you missed of his life. Every single thing you do know about him, you love, and you know you'll keep loving him the more you learn. You want to tell him you loved him when you were kids, and you'll love him when you're old. You've been in love with him literally since forever. You want to say there's no one else for you but him. 

But then he moves towards the nightstand, and you don't say anything.

"Coconut lube." He drops the small bottle on the pillow, along with a pack of condoms.

You refrain from rolling your eyes. "That's great, Eds."

"And I believe I promised you a massage, didn't I?"

"Uh… I think I'm good, but thanks."

He squeezes some of the lube on one hand, takes hold of you and starts stroking slowly. "Are you sure? I think I forgot to mention where I was planning on massaging."

You wonder if he'll let you steal that one and turn into a bit. "Oh, well, in that case, go right ahead."

His kiss this time is anything but soft. It's hungry, but not savage like the one when he attacked you by the door. Possessive. No, that's not right. Passionate. Like he's just the same as you, like there's nothing that he wants more than to have sex with you. You play with his hair and run your fingers over his back while he sucks on your tongue until you moan, then he stops, biting on your lower lip and pulling. Then he's back on your chest, tongue lazily circling one of your nipples, then the other, until he closes his mouth over it and sucks. Your nails, which you haven't cut in a while, immediately transform into claws on his back.

You can tell pretty clearly he's not just half mast anymore.

"Do you finger yourself?"

You physically feel the heat crawling up your face. "Fuck, man, I know they call me Trashmouth, but I don't think I can do the whole dirty talking thing. I am, as it turns out, a fraud."

"Richie, outside the bedroom, it's fair game. But I'm never gonna say anything to embarrass you while we're like this. I just want to know. So I can make this as amazing to you as it can possibly be." Still stroking, he sticks his tongue in your ear, and holy shit, you've never even thought about something like that. You pulse in his hand, moaning loudly.

"Yeah, yeah, alright, I do. Did it last night, even."

He exhales in your ear, and it sends a shocking shiver down your entire body. "Really? Shit, that's so fucking hot. Can't believe I was here playing fucking _Flappy Bird_ while you were doing that."

You'd laugh if you could, but his hand is moving to your balls, kneading them on his hand as he sucks on your neck.

There's a vampire sucking on your neck.

As the idea enters your mind, you do laugh, and it seems he's had the same thought, because he starts laughing too, without a word, your flesh still between his teeth.

You have no idea how you're going to say this next thing until you're already babbling about it. "I uh, I also have one of those, uh, things."

"What things?"

Because Eddie genuinely sounds like he doesn't know what you're talking about, you pull your hands from his back to try and elaborate. "Y'know…" but it feels too ridiculous, so you drop them on the bed with a sigh. "A fucking dildo, alright? I have a fucking dildo that I use when I'm drunk enough not to care." Not just your face, you feel your entire body going up in flames from this revelation.

The hand he has on you has stopped moving, but he leaves it there. His other hand touches your face softly, and after a long moment, you look at him. "Don't be embarrassed. Seriously. That's pretty fucking hot too. Can I?"

It takes you a moment to realize what he's talking about. But then the hand he has on your junk moves further down, and you suck in a breath. "Yeah, go nuts. I mean, go… hole-y?" Just because you're dying, it doesn't mean you can't try to be at least somewhat funny.

Eddie almost grimaces. "Really?" You shrug, feeling slightly drunk. He sits up and grabs the lube. Then he's arranging a pillow under your hips, placing one of your legs on his shoulder. He warms some of the lube on his fingers and leans down to kiss you. His tongue and his finger breach you at the same time, and you open up easily for him. His finger prods for a while longer, going deep and around, until he pulls back, reaching for the condom. 

"I'm not going to do more than this. Not because I don't want to, I'd love to have my fingers in you while I suck you off and have you come down my throat, but that'll have to wait until next time. Right now I want you to feel me going inside you without anything else spoiling that feeling for you. I don't think it's going to hurt you, but if you tell me to stop, we'll stop right away. Is that okay, Richie?"

How do you do words again? You nod, light-headed, until he finishes wrapping and slicking up. He stares at you until you manage to groan your consent. He teases a little bit to make sure you're still relaxed, and you are, you're all but begging for him to just do it already.

And he does, easily and slowly, sliding inside you like oil; like a puzzle piece.

You weren't lying when you said you didn't remember much about your first/last time, but you remember enough to know it was nothing like this, it was messy and rocky and just all around terrible.

But then Eddie starts moving, and any thoughts of the past are immediately forgotten. You sigh loudly, and he stops, watching you. "Okay?"

You smile, out of breath. You've barely even started and you're out of breath. "Okay? Okay? Under-fucking-statement of the year, Eds." It's not a statement, but you don't give a fuck. You pull him down, kissing lazily and moving your free leg to circle his waist, really hoping he'll get the hint and start moving again.

And he does, setting a perfect pace that makes every one of his thrusts better than the last. You move with him, resigned to the idea that the smell of artificial coconut will forever turn you on after today.

Eddie Kaspbrak, antacid and coconut lube. You could write a song about it.

"Fuck, so good, Richie…" Sweat drips from his forehead and mingles with yours. 

"You're telling me…" You barely recognize your own voice. You sound fucked, in all the best aspects of the word.

When he gets your prostate, your leg tightens around him, and he kisses you again, biting on your tongue, then soothing it with his own. He doesn't miss it a single time after that, and his mouth moves to your ear. Your jaw is tingling from the desperate pace of your breathing and when you palm yourself, you know you're not gonna last another minute.

Eddie notices the movement and releases your earlobe to rest his forehead against yours. "Close?"

"Yeah, real fucking so."

"Good. Good." He speeds up a little, raising his head to watch you, his eyes taking in everything you're showing him. In a few moments, he's throbbing inside you, a lovely noise falling from his lips as he rides it out, and you're gone. You come so hard, your ears are ringing.

He's panting hard, and you want to say something, anything, but you're out of breath too, and you can vaguely form words. Plus your eyes are threatening to close. "Come."

Eddie grins. "I just did. What, did you miss it?"

"Here. Come here."

"Just a sec." He takes the glasses off your nose for you, and you hear him placing them on the nightstand. You can't see anything else. It's gotten dark outside, and all the lights are off. You feel the bed shifting, and something being rubbed on your stomach. 

He kisses your hair, and you wrinkle your nose. "Sweaty."

"Yeah, gross." He kisses it again. "Disgusting." One more time. "Ew." You breathe a completely exhausted laugh.

You still have time to register Eddie snuggling up against you before you fall asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know some stories end right after the smut, but I still have things to say? For like 5 more chapters or so? So yeah, stick around pls


	8. Chapter 8

The first thing you see when you wake up is Eddie's tragically disarranged mop of hair beside you, and your first thought is that you're going to start a petition to ban all kinds of gel, pomade or whatever hair products forever just so he'll walk around everywhere like that.

He's lying on your shoulder, an arm around your waist. You look at his hand, sleepily wondering when was it that he took off his ring. _Your_ hand is on his ass, because you're under the covers but he isn't. You try to fondle it, but your arm is too numb. How long have you been asleep? It wasn't six p.m. yet when you got to the hotel, but it must be late, considering how dark it is.

You reach for your glasses and phone.

Six-thirty? That's not possible, you're pretty damn sure you and Eddie were at it for a good while, and you're too well-rested for it to have been just a nap.

Oh, it's six-thirty _a.m._

You've slept for a whopping twelve hours, give or take. And judging by Eddie's steady breathing, he's still asleep. You've woken up before him this time, and how unfair is it that you can't see his face?

What you can see though, is the scratches you've left all over his back. It's a good thing you're not awake enough to be embarrassed by something like that.

You raise your unoccupied hand and touch his jaw, feeling the hint of hair there.

Okay, now you _really_ want to see. Maybe if you move softly--

"Rich?"

Or y'know, you could just wake him up and see it. "Heya, Eds. Did you sleep well?"

He lifts his head, and you turn on the lamp so you can finally check him out. "I… guess? I feel like I weigh a ton. What time is it?" He sits up and yawns, stretching his arms, and you see his face. It's just a light stubble, but oh he looks so good, all disheveled like that. Maybe you'll start a petition to ban all razors too. And then you'll be a pair of scruffy idiots. "Richie?"

"Huh?"

"What are you looking at? Do I have eye boogers?" He runs his fingers over his eyes, and you remember two things: he's a bit of a royal bitch about his face, and he's asked what time it was.

"Yeah, a fucking huge one, right there at the corner. You just missed it. And it's six-thirty."

He stops messing with his eyes and reaches for his phone. "Fuck, really? Holy shit!"

"I know, right? We've fucked into oblivion."

Eddie laughs and lies back down on you, licking your lips, his tongue meeting yours for a moment. "We should really go brush our teeth." But then he kisses you again, and you're starting to think he doesn't actually give a shit about morning breath. It ends too quickly though, because both your stomachs decide to protest the fact that they've been completely ignored for so long. He laughs again. "C'mon, let's get ready for breakfast." Then he's off the bed, and you get to stare at his glorious, smooth backside as he moves to the bathroom. The scratches have vanished, all healed up. Probably right after he woke up. It doesn't matter, you'll put them there again later.

"You got a great ass!" You scream as if he's way farther away than he really is.

His head peeks out from the bathroom, toothbrush already in his mouth. "Thanks, Richie, so do you."

You watch the first rays of sunshine flooding the window and feel like you're in a fairy tale. 

_Fairytale of New York?_ You snort. But this is bliss like you've never known before. Like you've never thought you would get. Then you stand behind him as he's finishing brushing his teeth and starts for his razor, and put your arms around him. "What if you didn't?"

"What? Shave? Thanks, but I don't like looking like a bum, Richie. No offense, it uh, it looks good on you."

"Alright, so I'll shave and you don't, for a change. How's that?"

"No, I'm serious. You wear it pretty nicely. I don't have enough for a full beard, it just grows randomly on my face."

You turn him around, holding his face. "Please? Let's be vain little bitches just this once. Bet you'll look really hot. If you don't like it, you shave. But I really wanna see Eddie Kaspbrak rocking some whiskers."

He sighs, raising his eyebrows. "Fine. Just while you're here." He moves from your embrace and turns the shower on. "You're corrupting the fuck out of me, did you know that? I usually don't sleep more than four or five hours, now you want me to grow facial hair. Why don't we go and get some tattoos while we're at it too?"

You laugh with your mouth full of toothpaste. "Holy Jesus, Eds. You don't get to fuck me like that and then be a fucking prude about a beard, what's wrong with you?" You wash your mouth and look for the electric shaver, but Eddie steps out of the shower to pull you by the arm.

"Leave it, I mean it. And come here." Ooh, you like that. Very two nights ago. He pulls you under the stream and kisses you hard, while you grab two handfuls of his plentiful ass, loving how perfect it feels under your fingers. You suck on his tongue for a change, until you can't taste the toothpaste anymore, only Eddie.

When you stop, breathing against his mouth, your skin is already reddening up from the hot water. "I thought about this, you know. When I said I was jerking off in the shower? I was thinking about you joining me and making a mess instead of cleaning up." He's making you bolder by the minute, and you love it.

"Oh yeah? Why don't you tell me about it and we see about making it a real thing?"

And while you can't wait for him to fuck you again, you want something else now. "How about I do this instead?" You get on your knees and take him in your mouth, not really thinking about it, just doing it, hoping your eagerness will make up for your lack of experience.

"Aah, fuck." You look up to see him bracing himself against the wall with his eyes closed. Then he bites his lips and looks at you. "Fuck, Richie, that's so fucking good." When you moan your response, he does it too, and one of his hands finds your hair.

You bob your head, minding your teeth as best as you can, and his hand feels so loving on you, getting your hair out of your eyes and just caressing you. You're getting hard too, but you really want to focus on him, so you just ignore it in favor of running a hand on his thigh, while wrapping the other around him, jacking him while you come out for air. "Come in my mouth."

You can't believe you just said that.

But you want him to, so bad.

"Holy shit, Rich." With his cock on your hand, you lick the underside and pull him back in, working extra hard, maybe even more desperate to get him off than he is. Well, maybe not, but almost. Then he's making that noise again, that sweet, sweet moan that you wish you could record and use as your ringtone. You swallow it all.

He's still breathing hard when you stand up and kiss his neck. Then he pulls you back to his lips, tongue pushing in and twirling wildly around yours, until he finally calms down. "You're fucking amazing Richie, holy shit."

You smile and bite his chin. "Beginner's luck." You try to actually wash up a little bit, but his hands are all over you.

"Let me take care of you now." He starts to grab you, but you push his arm away.

"Maybe later. I'm still hungry."

He laughs on your neck as you wash his hair.


	9. Chapter 9

You both end up getting a mountain of food at the breakfast bar and sitting in a corner, hoping people won't stare at you too much as you devour it all like a couple of savages. "So tell me Rich, what the fuck are you wearing?"

Okay, maybe your obnoxious loud shirt is not helping with going unnoticed. "Hey, this is fancy as fuck, alright. It's got cross-stitches and shit. At least that's what they told me at the store. Or was it needle-stitch? I have no idea, actually. I'm not really sure what that means. I think it's uh, the satin part?" Eddie shakes his head at you. "Oh wait, now that I think about it, I don't think I even got that shirt. And anyway, not everyone can handle going everywhere in a fucking Gucci suit, Eds."

"What? Do you have any idea how much Gucci shit costs? I have millions of suits, I can't just splurge on them. This was tailor made."

"Knew it. They probably don't have it on your size anyway, huh? What would that be, XXXS?"

"Hey, what's that on your plate? Oh, I think it's a big helping of fuck you!"

You laugh, delighted and smitten. "Alright Eddie, tell me. How did it go?"

He's chewing as you ask, and you're pretty sure he takes longer than usual just to fuck with you. "Not great, but not terrible either. I tried to explain it to her, y'know, the whole 'you're basically my mother' thing, but she would have none of it. Said that it was absurd and they were nothing alike. They met like, twice, and holy shit, now that I think about it, they even sounded alike. Oh, God. Okay, no, focus." He takes a deep breath. "Then I told her there was someone else. That I hadn't cheated, but there was someone else. And, well, that I couldn't stay anymore. I thanked her, profusely, for what she did for me, but I had to go. And when I said goodbye, she let me. And that's it, basically. I'll come back for my things when she isn't there, if she doesn't trash it all. Then I talked to my lawyer, and it's in progress now, the divorce. I think things are gonna be okay. Both for me and for her."

You're so glad to hear that, you'd hate yourself if he had to go through a lot of shit because of you. Even if he insists he isn't doing it _just_ because of you. And you know that's true, but still. You're glad. "That's great, man. I'm happy to hear it. Though if you think she might throw your stuff out, don't you think it'd be better to get it as soon as possible?"

Eddie shrugs. "I dunno. There's not much I want to take anyway. Clothes, work stuff. I guess I got some old stuff, like vinyls and photo albums that--"

"I want-- I wanna--" How do you tell him you want to see how he looked like during every period of his life you weren't there for without sounding too crazy? You clear your throat. "I mean, that's like, irreplaceable, right? You can buy new clothes and shit, but that… that sounds important."

He looks at you as if he knows exactly what you're thinking. "I guess I can drop by later and grab them. On the condition that the first time I visit you, you'll show me all _your_ old pictures."

You play with your scrambled eggs, not even trying to hide how much you want this. "It's a done deal, Eduardo." After finishing his breakfast, he stares at you for a moment, but not your face. A little lower… your neck. "What? See something you wanna sink your fangs on?" Then you remember the huge hickey he left there yesterday that you did absolutely nothing to cover. You really are making it up for the teenage years you lost.

"Yeah, actually. You're a way better meal than all of this. You're not gonna go for seconds, are you?"

Your face heats, but not in embarrassment. The fact that anyone who sees the love bite will assume he's the one who put it there makes you ecstatic. It's kind of like standing at the edge of a tall building, peering at the long fall. A fall you think you're beginning to get ready to take. "Nope, I'm done. Let's go." You get up so quickly you hit your leg on the table. "Ow! That's gonna leave a mark."

"Jesus, are you okay?"

"Yep, fine, I'm fine, c'mon." You make your way toward the elevator, not bothering to check if Eddie's following, but when you look, of course he's right behind you. "Uh, by the way, did you talk to Mike yesterday?"

"...As a matter of fact, I did. Why? Did he tell you?"

"No, not really. I mean, he hinted that you did, but didn't say what."

Eddie hums, and for a moment, you don't think he'll elaborate. "He texted me to ask about the trip, and I told him how unbelievably happy I was with you. That you made me feel things I hadn't felt for decades. That I was ending a ten year marriage because of you, and I'd do it again at the drop of a hat."

You feel like there's a mix of fire and ice running through your veins. There's no better moment than this to tell him. "The feeling is very much mutual." Or maybe some other time, then. "I uh, I'd like to tell the others if that's cool with you."

He smiles, as the elevator reaches your floor. "Of course, Richie. I think they'll be happy for us, don't you?"

"Yeah, sure. But… later, okay?" You swipe the keycard on your door and pull him inside. This time, you have no trouble getting him out of his shirt. He's doing the same to you, kissing the mark on your neck, raking his teeth over it, and you hope he'll mark you all over.

You're both naked by the time you reach the bed. You eye the pack of condoms, wondering if he'll go without if you ask.

Eddie straddles you, holding both of your hands above your head and giving you ideas about things you'd hardly ever thought of. For another time, maybe. "So Rich, what are we doing? Like yesterday, or--"

You suppress a groan. "You don't have to ask me every time, Eddie. Geez, you'll make me feel self-conscious about it."

"I just want you to know you can have anything you want, Richie. Just because I said I didn't like bottoming much, it's not like I'm gonna deny you if you want to top. I'm pretty sure I'd enjoy anything if it were with you."

You have to gather your thoughts for a moment before you start speaking. In the end, it's pretty simple, really. "I like getting fucked. And I do mean sexually this time. And you like fucking. And if that doesn't makes us fucking perfect for, y'know, fucking, I don't know what does. Therefore, what I want, Edward, is your hard, fat cock in my ass. Am I making myself clear enough for you or do I have to write a whole damn routine about it? Because trust me, I'll do it." You can feel your face burning as you speak, but you couldn't give two shits. "Now if you want differently, you're the one who's gonna have to tell me."

He's smiling again, and you wonder if you'll ever make him understand just how fucking gorgeous he is. "Alright, Richard. You've made your point. I'll still hold you to that routine, though."

Yeah, maybe you really should start thinking about going back to your own stuff. Later, when your extremely hot boyfriend isn't naked on top of you.

Boyfriend. You haven't even said the word out loud. But that's what he is, right? Never mind your ages, never mind he's still married, he's not wearing his ring anymore, and that's all that matters to you. "You're my boyfriend, Eds."

Eddie gawks at you for a moment, then starts laughing, kissing your chest and stopping to laugh some more. "What the fuck, I am, Richie. Hey, did you know you're my boyfriend too?"

You put a hand on your forehead in a dramatic manner. "God, we're fucking stupid."

"A match made in hell."

"A match made in fucking Derry. Oh you're right, it is hell."

He's still smiling when he starts trailing kisses down your chest and stomach. When his mouth closes around you, you grunt and raise your head from the pillow to see. He goes down on you a few times, then his mouth moves to your balls, sucking on them and drawing absolutely filthy noises from your mouth. He keeps moving down, and you hadn't even noticed him pushing your legs apart, getting his hands under your ass, until you feel his tongue in your hole.

"Holy fuck…" He raises his eyebrows at you, and when you don't say anything else, he does it again and again, flattening his tongue and licking you, and if you thought you were making embarrassing noises earlier, you have no idea what to call what's coming out of your mouth now. But he doesn't linger on that either, and in a moment, his slick fingers replace his tongue. You don't know how you didn't smell the coconut. He has your cock in his mouth again, while his fingers work relentlessly against your prostate. "Eddie… fuck… I'm…"

He hums at your half-words, increasing his efforts until you can't watch anymore, and your head hits the pillow as your body thrashes on the bed. He milks you through it, and you fight against the lethargy that's already trying to settle in.

"I'm sorry, Rich." You open your eyes when you hear him speaking and try to sit up a little. "I know you wanted me to fuck you, but I was dying to taste you. That was selfish of me."

"Nah, man, it's cool. It's cool. Don't, ah, don't worry about it. What the fuck. You call that selfish? Fuck you. Gimme… gimme a couple minutes and I'll give you a hand or something."

"If you can keep your eyes open, you won't have to."

"Huh?" You adjust the glasses on your face, and when your eyes focus on him, you feel very awake again. Eddie's sitting between your legs and stroking himself, and damn if the sight doesn't make your cock twitch a little.

"I want you to watch me." His voice is a little desperate, and you know it won't take him long.

"Yeah." You can't even blink.

"Can I come on you?"

"Fuck yeah." You don't know whether to look at his hand, stroking that luscious cock of his, or his face, eyebrows knitted as he looks at you, mouth open and panting hard. "Fuck, Eddie, you're a work of art."

"Richie…" He bites his lip as he comes, still watching you. You run a hand through the jizz on your stomach, lazily smearing it all over, and Eddie flops back on the bed. "Fuck…"

It's only later when you're both clean and clothed again that you take a selfie while he kisses you and send it to the group chat with the caption: "Ta-dah."


	10. Chapter 10

"How about this one?"

It's bigger than the last one he's shown, but you feel like something's missing. "It's pretty cool, but there's no pool in the building."

"Oh, please. As if I'd use a public pool. People shit in public pools, Richie. And do you want me to make a list of how many diseases you could get from swimming with a bunch of randos? Actually, I could write an essay about it."

You don't remind him about the Derry sewers because you have a feeling he's trying really hard to forget about all that. After all, you're trying too. "Eddie… doesn't the vampire thing heal you when you get sick?"

"I…" He stops looking at his laptop, frowning as he ponders on your question. "I don't think I've ever gotten sick ever since I was… but that's because I take vitamins and eat healthy, it has nothing to do with, y'know, being a vampire."

You've seen his medicine bag, and it was… abundant. You have no idea how much good or bad they do, and you don't think you want to find out. You kiss his forehead and grab a beer on the mini-fridge. "Do you want one?" He nods, and you grab another. "Come on now, do you seriously believe that? I'd tell you to stop taking all that bullshit and see if anything changes. But that would probably work like the opposite of a placebo. Like, you'll probably feel sick if you don't take your pills. You know?"

"I guess so." He takes a swig of his beer and smiles. "I tried doing it once. Made a scene with my mom. Called them 'gazebos'."

Oh God, that's endearing. But you have the feeling you've heard that before.

"But I regretted it, and kept taking them. Then... then after leaving for college, I stopped again, and kept it like that for a while, until..." Until Myra, he doesn't say, but you know that's what he means. "Anyway, I don't know if I really can just stop it, Richie. I'm weak-willed."

"You? Weak-willed?" You laugh out loud, then wiggle a finger at his face. "Don't talk like that about my boyfriend. I think I've given this speech before, but I'll say it how many times you need to hear it. You can do anything if you put your heart into it. Trust me. Now, I'm not gonna be a pain in the ass about it and tell you to go cold turkey, but you _can_ do it, Eddie. Just remember that."

He gives you a quick kiss, sucking on your lower lip for a moment. "What the fuck, are you the voice of reason in my head that I never had? I'll try, I promise you."

You kiss his neck, wishing you could leave a mark there that wouldn't disappear within minutes. "By the way, pretty sure your food allergies are all bullshit too."

The Eddie Kaspbrak Hand Thing™ strikes again. "Okay man, now? Now you're pushing it." It makes you want to poke his dimples when he makes that face. Especially now that he has a little bit of hair growing from them.

But oh well, one step at a time, you suppose.

"How about this one?"

By the end of the day, you're both buzzed, and Eddie's made an offer on an apartment you've both agreed on being pretty much perfect. No pool, though. It's okay, you'll get him to go skinny-dipping on your own particular pool with you when he visits you in Chicago.

You check the group chat, and as expected, everyone's super happy for you, even though you can tell no one's really surprised. Now if only it were that easy with the rest of the world.

Eddie brings his things from his former house, and when he hands you the couple of picture albums, you almost rip them from his hands. You gush over how cute he was in his twenties, mostly black clothes, all eyes and eyebrows, even more than now. And long hair. That was a thing too. Well, long compared to now. It reached his neck, and you're sure he could even tie it if he'd wanted to. Then something catches your attention, and you put the album down, abruptly taking hold of Eddie's face and turning it so you can see his left ear.

"Holy shit."

"What? Oh." He sighs. "Yeah, I had an earring for a while, so what? I had just moved out from home and I was feeling like I had to do literally anything and everything my mom would despise. That felt like a good place to start."

"You fucking punk." You can't stop smiling. "Did you go to protests too? 'Fuck da police' and all that?"

"A couple. If you're done with that, I'm gonna put it away." He tries for the album, but you hold it above your head and out of his reach. He groans and gives up on it. You love him so much.

The pictures are all in chronological order, so you can see the minute changes between one and another, when he started to fill up and lose the boyish looks, when he started to look like the handsome asshole that he is now. It's not the same thing as actually having been there, not even close. But you've made your peace with the fact that that's all you can get. All you can do now is be here with him from now on.

"I'm gonna make copies of these." There are a few pictures of Myra too, and she was… cute? Kind of? A little bit. Didn't look all that much like Mrs. Kaspbrak yet. But you're not inclined on copying those either way.

"You can take them with you. I have absolutely no desire to look at pictures of myself, especially my 'rebel phase'." He makes the air quotes.

"Well, good. I'll take perfect care of them." You'll put them in your safe.

The apartment looks even better than the website made it to be, and Eddie, the rich bastard, buys it on the spot. On your last night at the hotel, he fucks you in the shower, and it was nothing like your fantasy. Now you'll have fantasies about that night. Of him pushing you against the wall and giving it to you hard and fast, like you asked. Of coming untouched and biting your hand to avoid waking up the entire hotel. Of him coming inside you and staying there until you stopped shaking.

You have five more days with him before you have to go back to Chicago.

So you go out and shop for furniture. Kitchen stuff first, then bedroom. By the end of the day, only the mattress and the bed have arrived, but you both stupidly forgot about getting tools, so you can't really do anything about it. You order pizza (non gluten) and break the place in. Both of you wearing condoms, because Eddie doesn't want to get jizz on the brand new mattress.

Every time is better than the last one, and Eddie has already made a habit of leaving love bites all over you. 

The next day, you finish buying the few things Eddie wanted to buy, and it's his last day of PTO.

"Fuck, Richie, you're taking time off your life to be with me and I can't be here. I feel fucking terrible. I'll try to leave early, and I'll just make up for it next week."

"No, no, no you won't. If you start doing that, you'll just pile up more and more hours to cover, and it'll come back to bite you in the ass. And only I'm allowed to do that. Don't worry about it. I'll work on my new material while you're out, it'll be good to have something ready by the time I get back anyway."

He kisses you hard, and his stubble scratches you. Your dick appreciates it. "I'll give you a blowjob as soon as I get back."

You smile, resting your head on his shoulder. "As much as I appreciate the thought, I'd rather we just fucked normally at night. Besides, it's only two days and then it's the weekend. You don't work on weekends, do you?"

"No, and I don't come home that late, I'm sure you can handle a blowjob and regular fucking on the same day, can't you?"

Still snickering, you bite his shoulder. "We'll put it to the test tomorrow, I guess. And I'll make dinner. In exchange for the blowjob."

Eddie raises his eyebrows. "You can cook?"

"Weeell… I can make spaghetti, although I'll probably have to look for a recipe online if I'm working with all the healthy shit you eat."

He kisses you again. "You are literally the best person ever. And it's not that different, I promise."

"I'm the best? Are you kidding me? You come home from work, all tired and stressed, and you're the one giving me a blowjob? It should be the other way around."

"Well, I do love sucking you off, so I don't care."

"How about we compromise and just blow each other?"

"Deal. Now how about I fuck you in the shower again?"

"Eds… it's like you know the way to my heart is through my prostate."

You wonder sometimes, if it's the newness of it all. If it'll wear off. This much desire. This craving for each other. But for now, you just decide to make the best of it.

__

After a week of waking up next to Eddie, it feels weird to wake up alone. And as much as it pains you, you know you have to get used to it again.

You shower and pour some of Eddie's strong-ass coffee while wondering what to do. You said you were going to work on new material, but you can't really get the creativity juices flowing right now. Only when you sit down you notice there's a note on the table.

_Got this in the mail. Good thing I changed my address before moving. I'm sorry I didn't wait to read it with you, but you were drooling on the pillow, so I figured you were having a good sleep. There's a picture of it on your phone. Be back by 3:30._

You ignore the bit about the picture. And of course he would change his address before even moving. You smile, checking the envelope under his note.

It says 'Patricia Uris'.

Oh. That's… Is that Stan's wife?

The letter is short and simple, and by the time you finish reading it, there are a couple new teardrops next to the ones already on the crumpled paper.

"Goddamnit, Stan."

You wonder what kind of person Patricia Uris is. Would she hate you all for taking her husband away from her? She probably wouldn't have sent his letters if she did. Even if it was his last request. Right? You have no way of knowing.

You text Bev and ask for her number, wondering if any of the others have spoken to her after... after that day.

"Hello, Patricia? This is Richie Tozier." You smile. "Yeah. I was. Since we were kids."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that was my totally not shoehorned way of talking about [Eddie's canon pierced ear.](https://clownmovieblues.tumblr.com/post/625223779226976256/clownmovieblues-im-sure-everyone-knows-about)  
> And I may or may not have written the shower scene at the hotel in Eddie's POV...


	11. Chapter 11

You both talked and decided Eddie should bite you before you leave. Even if it hasn't been a month, when he did take your blood it was to heal a mortal wound. You want to be sure he'll be okay until the next time you see each other. It took you a while to convince him, but you managed.

So he bites you again on your last night, after dinner. Well, he bites you for the first time, since back in Derry he just put his mouth on the wound and sucked. He had tested the anesthetic cream to make sure you didn't get an allergic reaction, but you were fine. Then he made sure you ate all kinds of healthy, full of nutrients shit you don't usually eat, but you had to put your foot down when he tried to feed you liver. There's only so much you can take.

You don't remember much about slashing your arm because you were a little bit out of it, but even though you're not wearing a bandage over the cut anymore, it's still healing. You're sure the only reason you didn't need stitches was Dr. K.'s proficiency with first aid.

He bites your right arm now, and you can barely feel it. The anesthetic is good, and it doesn't hurt at all. But you can feel… other things.

Eddie's lips on you, his teeth, his tongue. His (still short) beard grazing your skin.

Oh, no. You're not getting a boner from this.

Except you are.

"Thank you, Richie." You watch, enthralled, as he licks a single drop of blood from his lips and applies a small bandage on your arm. "You can take it off tomorrow afternoon, it'll itch a little bit, and when it stops, it'll be healed. There'll be no mark on you."

"Uh, sure."

"I'm gonna grab you a Gatorade, you can lie down if you want."

Now what? Are you feeling dizzy from the bite or is it because all your blood has rushed to your dick?

Eddie comes back with the Gatorade, and you lean against the plush cushions of his sofa. "Is there such a thing as a vampiresexual?"

Eddie's eyebrows almost meet his hair. "What?"

"No, I think I'm just Eddiesexual." You drain half the bottle in a few swigs.

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

"I'm talking, Nosferatu, about how hard my dick got from you sucking on my arm."

His eyes go straight to your crotch, and he glares at the evidence of your statement through your flimsy nylon shorts. Then he smirks. "You're a kinky bastard, that's what you are. I'm not complaining, by the way."

"Good, because kink-shaming is against my religion. Are… you gonna do something about it?"

He lets his eyes linger a little longer on your hard-on before going back to your face. "No, because you can't exert yourself for a while."

You gawk at him. "Are you serious?"

"Deadly. Haven't you ever donated blood?"

"No, why? What could possibly happen? If I pass out, you have my absolute permission to keep going, y'know. I wouldn't mind waking up full of you." You give him what you hope it's a sexy wink, even though you know it's probably just awkward as hell.

He laughs, and you can tell it's his aroused laugh. You're so fucking proud of yourself that you can tell some of his laughs. "Oh my God, Richie! Are we seriously opening your bag of kinks right now?"

"What? That's a kink too? I think I'm too naïve to be this horny."

Eddie's shaking his head, but he's still smiling. "Finish your drink, then come to bed. I'll take care of you." He moves to the bedroom without waiting for a reply.

Oh. Him talking all authoritarian at you like that. Yeah, you like that too. "I think my bag just overflowed."

You finish the drink and stop by the bathroom to relieve yourself. Then you stare at the mirror, the bright, clinical light allowing you to see every little detail about your face you don't particularly care for. But what you focus on is your eyes. Sure, your pupils are a little blown, but the important thing is how content they are. You don't think you've ever looked this happy before. This pleased with life. _Joie de vivre_ , you think, because no one will ever know you thought that.

"Thank you, random old lady vampire who bit Eddie that one night. Thanks Mike for making me remember him."

"What?"

Shit, he can hear you. "Nothing!" When you reach the bedroom, he's lying in bed, naked. "And thank you Jesus, God and the United States of America."

"What the fuck are you on about?"

"You, Eds. It's all about you." You've never gotten rid of your clothes faster in your life.

"Whatever you say, Rich." You climb on the bed and straddle him all ready to get down to business, but he pushes you down so you're lying on the pillow. "Nuh-uh. I know you said the other day that you really liked riding me, but I said you weren't supposed to exert yourself, remember? Relax, and I'll do all the work." He reaches over you to the nightstand, where the bottle of lube sits. This one is vanilla scented, and you prefer it over the other one, even though you'll always have fond coconut memories.

"Yes, sir." Oh. Oh, you didn't.

He stops and looks at you. "Sir?"

If only you hadn't said it so seriously. "Um… nnnyeaahh?" You don't even know what you mean by that.

Eddie drops the lube on the pillow. "I think I'd be way in over my head if we were to start something like that, Richie."

"I just… it slipped, alright? You sound like a fucking natural."

"Oh yeah?" Eddie sounds delighted. "And what do you know about the subject?"

"Uh… someone once left a copy of _50 Shades of Grey_ in my dressing room and I read a couple of pages?"

He wrinkles his nose a little bit at the mention of the book, but takes the lube again and climbs over you, his slick hand closing around you both. "Just a couple? Are you sure?"

"Ah… a couple of chapters, maybe."

"Really? Don't lie to me, Richie." His grip on you tightens and you whimper, and he lowers his lips to your ear. "If you do, I won't let you come."

Oh, fuck. You think that might backfire, though, because just his speaking like that is sending you even more near the edge. "I read the whole thing and watched the movie. In the theaters."

"Ah, see?" His hand begins moving again. "Was that difficult? I'll give you a reward now. What is it that you want, huh?"

"Your dick, my ass, pronto."

His palm suddenly connects with the side of your ass softly, a little more than a simple touch, but your brain still registers it as a slap, and you moan shamelessly. "That's not how you ask for a favor."

In over his head, he said? "Please, please fuck me."

Then he starts giggling a little, resting his forehead on yours. "I'm so sorry, I can't keep it up anymore. I'm terrible at this!"

"What? No, no, no, are you kidding me? You were doing great, fuck, how much do _you_ know about it?"

Eddie shrugs. "I read a book too, a French one, when I was in college. Don't remember much, though. All I know is what's public knowledge, really. Richie, if you really wanna do this… I think it's something we probably should talk about before-hand. And do a shit-ton of research. And I'm not talking about that shitty book."

"Eds… I agree with you. Totally. But for real. Would you please fucking fuck me?"

He's still grinning as he fingers you quickly and effectively. When he enters you, you get both legs and arms around him, pulling him closer, as close as you can. He draws a line of kisses on your jaw. "You don't want me to move?"

"In a moment." This is the last time. You know you're being dramatic, it's only the last time until the next. But you can't help it.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Yeah. Just… imprinting the feeling of you on myself." Fuck, why did you say that? Way to sound fucking weird.

"Richie… what the fuck. Are you taking poetry lessons from Ben? Fuck, don't make me be one of those people that cry during sex."

You laugh, trying really hard to keep your own emotions in check, and ease up your bear hug on him. "Go on, then."

Eddie follows the mood and goes slow, painting you in scratchy love bites and breathing your name in your ear with every thrust.

You repeat the three words you want to say to him over and over in your brain, wondering why it's so difficult. He'll tell you it's too soon to say something like that, how can you be so sure? And you won't know what to say, and things will get awkward, and you'll want to throw yourself from a bridge.

Next time. Next time you see each other. A little longer will have passed, and maybe he won't think it's so weird. You've no delusions of hearing it back, but you still want him to know.

For now, you kiss him hard, stealing his breath the way he likes doing to you, trying to spell _I love you_ with your tongue.

__

"Two weeks, Richie. You have two weeks to make your house at least half decent. If I get there and you're swimming in trash, I'm turning away and staying at a hotel."

You roll your eyes, but you know you do have to tidy up a little. You vaguely remember the sea of beer cans you left around your living room before you left. Maybe swimming in trash isn't all that far from the truth. "Yes, yes, si señor. The house will be pristine, Prince Edward in a can."

"It's Albert, dickwad."

"Pretty sure I know my boyfriend's name, thank you."

"No, I mean--" He sighs, exasperated, and you love how he doesn't catch on your stupid jokes sometimes. Then an annoying voice interrupts you, saying it's time to board your plane, and to avoid needless stomach ache, you haven't really thought about this part.

You really want to kiss him, though, even if he doesn't like PDA, even if you'll feel literally the eyes of every single person in the airport on you, judging you if you do. But you won't see him for two weeks, and that's what's weighing the most in your head.

"So, totally cool if you say no, but do you think I could kiss you?"

He's shocked enough to gasp. But in the next moment, he's raising an eyebrow at you and giving you a smile so naughty you almost take out your phone to get a picture. "I don't know, can you?"

Even though it's a joke, you know he means it as a genuine question too. Not a single person around acknowledges either of you, and Eddie is gripping your shirt, just waiting for you to decide.

So you do. Heart in your throat as you lean down and brush his lips with yours.

Then you think _fuck it_ and get your arms around him, deepening the kiss and erasing the rest of the world from your mind.

The voice interrupts you again, and you stop, annoyed. "Guess that's me."

"Go, don't miss your fucking flight. I'll see you in two weeks."

"Yeah, yeah." You shuffle towards the gate. "Can't wait to get rid of me, huh. Oh, and the beard. Gonna go baby face again?" It's not much yet, but he does look extra sexy with some fuzz on his face.

People are pushing past you, pushing you, and when you turn around, he's already far away from you, smiling serenely as he watches you go. "Nah, I think I'll keep it. You're lucky I love you as much as I do, or I'd just get home and shave it all off first thing."

"Yeah, me neither." Your mouth feels like it's filled with cotton as your legs somehow carry you through the gate. Your mind is completely blank, and it's only when you're already in your seat that everything seems to suddenly kickstart back to life, and you scream, "What!?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next one is the last, although I think I'll post Eddie's POV first, just the first chapter. It's way shorter than this one, because I wasn't just gonna tell the same story twice. So keep an eye out for that.


	12. Chapter 12

"You didn't know?"

Even though you spoke every day on the phone for the past two weeks, you waited until you were face to face again to talk about 'that thing you said at the gate', as you eloquently put it. "Of course not, Eddie! We--we never even discussed anything, and I was shitting my pants wondering how long I had to wait until I could say it. Then you just-- then you just-- right in the middle of the airport! I was catatonic the whole flight. I don't even remember how I got home."

Eddie swims towards you (in his trunks, nothing you said could convince him to go skinny-dipping). "I'm sorry you were nervous. And I'm sorry I didn't realize." He kisses you softly, looking absolutely stunning with the goatee he swears to you he's grown fond of. "I honest to God thought it was pretty fucking obvious. I don't care how long we've been together, or when it's the right time to say it. And granted, I prefer expressing myself," he kisses your neck, hands on your ass pulling you closer, "more physically, especially because Myra had me say it all the time, but I'll say it to you as many times as you want, because this time, it's the truth. I love you, Richie."

You think about all the times you wanted to tell him, how you wanted to tell him, but right now, looking in the absolute abyss of his eyes, you only say, "I love you too, Eds. So, so fucking much."

__

You stored your own copy of Stan's letter in your safe, along with Eddie's photo albums. Yeah, you weren't kidding about that. It's a national treasure, and if your place is ever on fire, you'll want to know it'll be safe. So in your safe it went. Rereading the letter for the tenth time had given you strength to come out to Julian, tell him you had a boyfriend you had no plans of keeping a secret and talk to him about writing your own material. He accepted it all without discussion, without sighing, without rolling his eyes.

It wouldn't be as easy, he told you. You could lose some bookings, and you'd definitely lose fans. But you'll definitely gain new ones too, and he promised he'd always support you no matter how insane your decisions are.

"Sick family member, Richie? I wasn't born yesterday. You could have just said you were spending time with this new boyfriend of yours. Would I get mad? Absolutely, you had prior engagements, some of which were nearly impossible to cancel. But I'd be mad because you're irresponsible, not because you're gay."

Eddie helps you calculate not only a decent raise for Julian, but a bonus too.

It doesn't matter to you if you don't get as much work for a while. You do love stand-up, but making it up for all the lost time with Eddie seems infinitely more important at the moment. The fact that you both have more money than you could ever find use for helps with that, too.

Meeting every two weeks for two and a half days just doesn't seem enough, though, and for the past couple of months, you've both been so pent-up when you finally meet that you barely leave the bedroom, whether you're in Chicago or New York.

You wonder how you're going to break it to Julian that you're thinking about moving.

Oh, shit. He's not going to come with you, will he? He has his own family here. You should call Eddie and discuss this with him.

"Remember when I said I was gonna move to New York, Eds? 'Cause I'm gonna. Maybe. Fuck. I don't know. I don't know what to do about Julian. I mean, I would give him a nice recommendation and all, but finding someone as good as him at what he does, finding someone as good to me as he is… it won't be a walk in the park."

Eddie is silent for a long time. "Y'know I'm glad I know for a fact how straight and happily married he is, otherwise I'd be jealous. I, uh, I really like your pool, Rich. It's got hot water, and the bubbles are fun too."

You frown. Why the hell is he changing the subject? "Uh, Eddie, I'm serious here, man. I don't know what to do. Should I move to New York or not?"

"And I'm telling you I like your pool, dipshit. I like your hot tub too, and your bed. It's way softer than mine."

Oh. Oh, you're a fucking idiot.

"Are… are you kidding me? Eddie, you just got your place! And it's a pretty swanky apartment too! Way better than the shithole I live." You can barely hear your own thoughts over the loudness of _Eddie wants to move in with you._ You weren't even considering that, you were just thinking about getting a place in New York so you'd be closer.

"Remember when Mike said Florida wasn't all he thought it would be, and then he came to visit me?"

"...Yeah?"

"Well, he thought the apartment was pretty sweet, too."

"But… I mean, it's brand new, and all your shit's brand new too. And you paid a fuckton for it."

"And I could lease it to Mike. It's just a place, Rich. It doesn't matter to me. What I care about is all the times I want to see you and you're not here. Or I'm not there. I mean… unless you don't want to…"

What you want. What you want is make dinner for two, and wake up to the smell of fresh coffee and bacon every day. You want to go out on dates, even though you absolutely love spending time alone, now that you're not afraid anymore, you just want to show off your gorgeous boyfriend to the world. You want everyone to see just how fucking happy you are. You want to go out at night and drink until you're both plastered, making complete asses of yourselves and laughing to the point of tears on the way home, where you won't be able to reach the bedroom and fall asleep entangled in each other on the couch.

"When?"

"...I gotta send in my notice. I'm not sure if they'll try to keep me here, but it still shouldn't take long."

"Good. Good. You let me know when, because I'll cancel all my appointments and go get you myself before you see the light and change your mind."

"Looking forward to it." You can hear the smile on his voice. "By the way, your place's not a shithole. It's just a bachelor pad. We'll tidy it up together. And I'll have to bleach your entire fucking kitchen before I even think about making food in it. But it'll be okay."

Yeah, you think so too.

__

You can't hide how proud you are that all Eddie has added to your medicine cabinet is the first aid kit and the anesthetic cream.

__

Also, he promised to say goodbye to his polos if you got rid of at least half your hideous shirts. You think it's a fair trade.

__

"So you never went to college for, uh, Risky Business?"

Eddie rolls his eyes as he rearranges the throw pillows on the couch for the millionth time. "No, I have a degree in Financial Management, actually. And with my qualifications, I can get a way less stress inducing job now. Less hours. Working from home every now and then." 

"Ooh… are you gonna wear a suit when you're working from home too?"

He gives you a crooked smile as he pushes you on the pillows he just finished arranging to perfection. "Do you want me to?"

"Yes sir."

"Rich…" You ignore his warning tone because you can see it in his eyes that he likes it. You've seen his internet history; he's been doing whole lot of research about it. He gets one knee between your legs and bends down to peck your nose. "Only if you wear nothing at all."

You pretend to think about it. "You drive a hard bargain, Señor Kaspbrak. But I think something like that can be arranged."

He leans in to kiss you, his knee dangerously close to your quickly hardening dick.

Then the doorbell rings, and you almost jump from your skin. "What the fuck? They're not supposed to be here yet!"

Eddie takes a moment to recompose, but he's smiling. "They probably got an early flight."

Besides Mike, none of the Losers have seen Eddie since he came back yet. You got greedy and wanted to enjoy the honeymoon period on your own while it lasts. But it doesn't seem to be ending any time soon, not that you're complaining. Bev and Ben were supposed to be the first ones to arrive, but you thought you had at least an hour before they did.

But when Eddie opens the door, you don't hear the scream you were expecting from Bev. Instead, you hear nothing at all. So you adjust yourself and get up to see what's going on.

Eddie's hugging someone, and all you can see from the person is the blonde hair. Your heart stops for a moment, thinking about his ex-wife. Who isn't a crazy jealous stalker, and would never just barge in on you two like that. She's even called you a couple of times to make sure you're feeding Eddie properly. And to make sure he's taking care of you properly in return. They're not exactly friendly, but at least they're on speaking terms. But you know that's not her. "Hey Rich, look who could make it after all."

She raises her head, and you open a big smile. "Patty! Holy shit, you're really here!" The moment Eddie releases her, you pick her up, half-spinning her around and putting her down before your back protests.

"Hi, Richie! So I'm finally face to face with the couple that took the internet by storm."

You roll your eyes with a large smile. "Yes, yes, paps love us. Personally, I blame Eddie. He got more fangirls in a month than I did my whole career." You lean down to whisper in her ear. "I'm not sure if it's the pretty face or the power suits, but it's probably a combination of both."

"Shit, Rich, where are your manners, man?" He pulls you away from Patty by the back of your shirt before you can add that maybe it's something to do with his potty mouth. "Go grab her a beer or something, I'll go put her bag in the guest room you got for Mike. Mike can stay with Bill now. He said Audra wouldn't make it, so they can share the bed. Not that that'd be a hassle or anything."

You gasp at him. "Edward! I know you're supposed to be the green-eyed one here but I have feelings too, y'know!" You lead Patty to the kitchen and hand her a kosher beer you got on the chance she'd make it. Then you wait for Eddie to come back before you speak again, all jokes put aside. "So. How is he?"

She takes a sip before answering. "Still the same. The doctor has high hopes, though. If it had taken me a minute longer to stop the bleeding, it would have been too late." She refused to talk much about it over messages, but you can see she's relieved to be doing so now. Then she drains half the bottle at once. "I've mentioned this already, but I wanted to say it out loud. How he spoke to me. When I got to him. He told me to let him go, he needed to be dead. And when I refused, he just said, 'then make them believe I am'. So, it's what I did. That's the last thing he said to me. When I found the letters, I wasn't sure what to do. I was so angry with whoever it was that made him… do that… that I almost burned them. But reading the way he talked about you all, I understood it wasn't your fault. But what… Are you going to tell me anything? Because I must know, Richie! What made Stanley want to die? He left me a letter too, but it was too vague. What's IT? He scrawled it on the wall with his-- We were happy! We were traveling around like when we were young! We… we were thinking about adopting, and--"

You pull her to your arms at the same time as Eddie, and you end up in a triple hug. "Pats, it's…" You talked about it. What to tell her. Because you knew she was going to ask, of course she would. But you're still not as prepared as you thought you'd be. "Our hometown was a… a hellhole. It gave us all a whole bunch of seriously fucked up issues. Like real trauma. But… Stan, he'll tell you himself. Alright? The minute you tell us he's woken up, we'll all catch the next plane to Atlanta just so we can watch him trying to explain it all. You wouldn't believe us. But you might believe him. And trust me. It's not a story you should be looking forward to hearing about anyway. Okay?"

She nods, and you dry her tears. Just in time for the doorbell to ring again. "Now it's definitely the Marshcoms." Eddie moves to open the door again, and this time you do hear Beverly's scream.

__

With seven people arguing about it, it wasn't easy to decide where to go. But the majority opted for the karaoke bar. 

Patty surprises everyone with an Iron Maiden song, and when you thought Eddie couldn't get any more sexier, he shocks you with his rendition of _Wicked Game_. Sure, you've heard him singing before, but it was either in the shower or when you were both drunk. Now… Now he makes a sensual song sound downright pornographic.

Then your turn comes, and you've known what you would be singing the moment it was decided where you'd be going tonight. When the song starts, you look at Eddie, and he looks like he wants to shoot you with a rocket launcher.

_Oh, his eyes, his eyes, make the stars look like they're not shining_

_His hair, his hair, looks perfect without him even trying_

_He's so beautiful, and I tell him every day_

Eddie has a hand over his face, with Bev and Ben on each side of him, heckling him.

_Yeah, I know, I know, when I compliment him he won't believe me_

_And it's so, it's so, sad to think that he don't see what I see_

_But every time he asks me do I look ok, I say_ (you can hear Eddie screaming, "I never asked you that, asshole!")

 _When I see your face, there's not a thing that I would change_ ("Yeah? Who told me to grow a fucking beard?")

_Cause you're amazing, just the way you are_

_And when you smile, the whole world stops and stares for a while_

_'Cause boy you're amazing just the way you are._

The whole table is exploding with cheers, and even other tables are whistling. When the song ends, you get a standing ovation from most patrons, some of which no doubt recognize you. And the boyfriend you were singing to.

He's standing by the table, waiting for you, and when you get close enough, he grabs your shirt and kisses you to the continuing cheer and whistles of the whole establishment.

Eddie holds your face with both hands. "I hate you. I hate you so much." He can't stop smiling.

"And if you still don't believe me, it's just gonna get worse from here. I know all the words to _Fuckin' Perfect._ "

He groans. "Kinda wish you had gone with that one, to be honest."

"Or I can always dig up those articles, I have them all saved on my phone. Remember that one? _C-list Comedian Richie Tozier Lands Sexy Stud_. Or how about that other one, _Beautiful Stranger? Meet the Male Model who Brought Richie Tozier Out of His Shell (And the Closet!)._ "

"Yeah, you're making that one up."

You show him the article.

"Jesus Christ, who writes these things, a room full of monkeys? Where the fuck did they get that I'm a male model? In what universe?" He sighs at you, dazzling smile, shining eyes and those chasms he calls dimples. "What do you want me to say, Rich?"

"Tell me you're beautiful and you know it."

"Okay, I'm gonna ask again, and this time you'll tell me something I'd realistically say."

You speak so only he can hear. "Tell everyone you're the most handsome fucker in this place or I'll tell them about how I called you _daddy_ the other day and you didn't complain. Neither did your cock."

"Everyone." It's instantaneous. The whole table turns to look at him. "There's no one here that even holds a candle to me when it comes to looks." You've never seen his face so red, and he's pinching your side so hard it's probably gonna leave a bruise. Totally worth it. "Except maybe Richie." Before you can say anything, he's whispering in your ear. "I'll get you for that, Mr. No Kink Shaming."

You grin. "Can't wait." 

Ben hollers as you both sit back down. "It's great to have self-confidence and all, but I'm sorry to say you lose to at least Bev and Patty, man."

Bev laughs and steals a cashew from Eddie's plate. "I don't know, Ben. I really like the pirate look on him."

Eddie widens his eyes with a frown. "Excuse me. Pirate?"

Patty seems to be in sync with what Bev's saying. "Yes, yes! That's what I was thinking of when I saw his picture for the first time! It's the goatee that does it, but… it could be better. Tell me, Eddie, have you ever worn eyeliner?"

"Um… yes?" He doesn't elaborate. You didn't know that. You didn't know you needed to know that.

Both women are already scouring their bags. "Would you wear it again?"

Eddie finishes his beer with a couple of swigs, then exhales loudly. "Sure, why the fuck not."

And while Bev works on his eyes, Patty is messing with his hair, and when they're done, you click on your camera so fast you've probably outdrew every single paparazzi ever.

Your new phone background is pirate Eddie, looking absolutely dastardly and smoking hot at the camera.

Later on in the night, Mike tells you about the research he's been doing on vampirism, and a possible cure in some unpronounceable province in Europe. You're all pretty buzzed, so you have no idea how seriously you're supposed to take this. But your heart still refuses to beat for a moment.

Because you like it. You like how Eddie is virtually indestructible. You love the fact that you'll probably never see him die again.

He's interested, because he really wishes he didn't have to take your blood every month, but even though you manage to dissuade him until at least neither of you is drunk to discuss this, you know you're being selfish, and ultimately it is Eddie's choice, not yours.

And whether he decides to go on a wild goose chase across the world or not, you'll be with him, always, and you know the other Losers will, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading. Don't forget to read Eddie's POV for new scenes, including one after the ending.
> 
> [Pirate Eddie](https://clownmovieblues.tumblr.com/post/627283886490206208/and-heres-pirate-eddie-for-the-the-thing)
> 
> Title of the story taken from "Rich Street" by Colorscheme


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